


Veiled Identities

by SemmyJ



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universes, Been wanting to do this for a while, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, Clueless Dipper Pines, Dipper is a writer, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Human Bill Cipher, Hurt Dipper Pines, I just cant, Im going to be try harding anyway, Im just gonna go for it, M/M, No Smut, Older Dipper Pines, Older Mabel Pines, Post-Canon, Protective Bill Cipher, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, about 10 years after weirdmageddon, i cant, im not a writer, made up Bills past, mistakes will happen, not everything is perfectly canon, this fanfiction is lowkey meant to be really bad, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-12-21 18:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11949693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SemmyJ/pseuds/SemmyJ
Summary: What if I told you Bill Cipher found a way to escape?Surely, when you know as much as Bill, there is no way you can be defeated. Just restricted.After ten years of waiting out in Gravity Falls, Bill gets his chance.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> ''Essentially, it all can all be explained pretty easily. Of course, you can shatter a form, an object, a physical thing. But that is not everything I am.''

As the bus approached Gravity Falls, Dipper started to pay more attention to his surroundings. It had been such a long time since he last visited this town. The memories he made all those years ago started to flood his mind. The good ones, and the bad ones.

He stood up and walked to the exit in advance, out of anxiety to miss the stop. The bus wasn't even that full, and it was perfectly on schedule. It was not going to just drive off without dropping Dipper to his destination. That didn't stop Dipper from feeling the dread.

The busdriver slowly hit the breaks and the bus slowed down. As the doors opened, Dipper and the man exchanged a polite smile, and he wished him a nice day.  
The smell of wet pine trees hit Dippers face, and he inhaled the scent as deeply as he could.

It was a rainy late summer morning, and it was kind of cold. Dipper zipped up his jacket, and put one hand in his pocket. With his other hand, Dipper dragged along a small suitcase. He tried to remember the way back to the mystery shack from this bus stop. Shortly after he decided to just grab his phone and open google maps, he spotted Soos and his wife Melody, waving at him.

Dipper sped up his pace, and Soos stretched his arms wide open, inviting Dipper for a hug. After Soos wrapped his arms around the young man, he started jumping up and down.

"Dipper! It has been so long! You're finally here!" The big bear exclaimed, and he grabbed him by the shoulders. The somewhat dissoriented boy smiled at Soos and took a step back.

"It has been a while alright." He moved his gaze towards Melody, who was smiling sweetly. "Welcome back Dipper."

They all walked back to the Mystery Shack, while Soos explained everything that had stayed the same, and everything that had changed.

"Almost nothing has changed." He started off, as they made their way around to the back door. "I just have new employees. Wendy started working for her father." Soos opened the door, and let Dipper in.

Dipper looked around and witnessed how almost everything had stayed the same, except the place wasn't dirty anymore.

Soos saw the look on Dippers face, and laughed. "I also fixed the sign, and it hasn't broken yet." Melody placed a hand on Dippers shoulder. "We cleaned up the attic too. It must've been a long journey for you, so if you want you can go up there and settle."

Dipper thanked her, and took his suitcase upstairs. The door to his old bedroom was still creaky, and the floor was still cold. The rest of the room had completely changed. It wasn't the rustic attic that was turned into a temporary bedroom he remembered, It was an actual bedroom now. The walls were a blue-ish grey, and there was a round brown carpet on the ground, near the bed. The bed was big, and looked comfortable. The room was cozy, and he liked it that way. Dipper sighed, and started to unpack his clothes. He wasn't supposed to stay here for long. He had bought a little cabin in the middle of the woods, and he was planning on moving in there as soon as possible, but the place is getting renovated right now.

He heard a knock on his door, shortly after he was done unpacking his clothes, and installing his laptop on the desk.

"Dipper?" it was Melody. "We're heading out for lunch, you can come if you want, but it's okay if you prefer to stay here and rest a bit." She said, and directed a soft smile at him.

Dipper shook his head, and thanked her for asking. He wasn't too tired to go, but he felt the need to rest anyway. Besides, he had a deadline coming up, and he had to finish a few chapters before then. The whole moving thing had slowed him down a lot, and there was a lot of catching up to do. He reread some bits what he had written, and went straight back to writing.

While typing out the words, he couldnt stop thinking about all the memories he made here. Sure, it hasnt been 10 years since he last visited. Two summers after the apocolypse Dipper had come back to meet up with his friends. After that it stopped. For 8 years in a row he wanted to return, but he couldn't bring himself to.

 

After an hour or two, he could hear Soos and Melody walk in again.

He decided to take a break from writing, and take a long walk outside. So, he saved his work, closed his laptop and walked downstairs.

When he walked into the living room, he noticed that Soos and Melody weren't alone. Soos was talking to a man, just a little older than Dipper was. He was a lot taller than Dipper, it was almost intimidating, but the kind green eyes behind the big round glasses made him much more accessable.

Dipper walked over and waved awkwardly.

"Dipper! This is Leo. He is the replacement for Wendy."

"Have been for 3 years now." The boy added. Dipper could tell from Leo's face that he didn't like to be called Wendy's replacement.

Leo directed a cheeky smile at him, and extended his hand. "I assume your name is Dipper then. Soos has been talking about you for weeks now." Dipper shook Leo's hand, and nodded. "Dipper Pines, yes."

"Well, I'm off to the gift shop." Leo said, and he did the fingerguns. He actually managed to make it look cool.

Soos smiled, and turned to Dipper. "He's really cool." Dipper didn't want to admit it, but Leo was pretty cool.

"He doesn't just help at the gift shop. He's an artist, he does a lot of designs for new attractions." Melody added, she almost sounded proud. Dipper looked over towards the gift shop, as if he could see through the closed door. "An artist huh." He said, and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to take a walk outside." Dipper said, and he turned towards the door. Without looking back he told them he would be back soon.

 

He wasn't used to the cold autumn air that the season had brought to Gravity Falls. He was still very much acustomed to the warm weather from the West-Coast. He wasn't complaining though. He liked it.

 

He thought about nothing for a while until he came to a point he didn't recognize anymore. In those eight years of absense nothing much had changed besides his memory. It had faded a little. There were times Dipper tried so hard to forget everything, and succeeded. His twin sister, on the other hand, made sure he didn't lose everything. The mental souvenirs were important to her, and she made sure they were to him.

That might also be the reason that he hasn't gotten rid of his journals yet. They were far too great in sentimental value, but also filled with important knowlegde. Dipper wasn't sure if he wanted ever to go on a mystery hunt again, but he kept them, just in case.

Dipper had decided to make a U-turn, and head back the exact way he got there. The writer didn't want to get lost on his first day back, that would both be embarrasing and scary. Though most of the mysteries of these woods had been reduced to the minimum, he didn't want to risk it. Who knows what happened in the past summers.

It seemed to be working. He slowly started to recognize some bits and pieces of what seemed to be an endless sea of trees, decorated with fiery reds and warm oranges. Autumn must be Dippers favourite season. Everything about it was just, so magical. Besides, it hosts the best holiday of the year: Halloween. Which was going to be here soon.

The brunette wasn't sure what to do with Halloween this year. His twin won't be able to make it to celebrate it with him, and most of his halloween-crazy friends were far back on the West-Coast.

 

He was going to think of a way to celebrate it, until he noticed a figure way into the distance. Dipper didn't think much of it, until he was a little closer to the shape. He couldn't recognize much of it. It was shaped like a man that stood a little bit higher from the ground than him. If it was actually a man, Dipper couldn't figure out.

 

The boy was going to go around it, with his head down and his hands in his pockets, grasping the keys he had left in there. The figure, however, soon dissapeared. Dipper looked around to find it, but it was almost like it was never there.

 

In total, the sniff of fresh air had taken him around an hour or so, which was a little longer than he intended. It was fine though, he felt refreshed and ready to finally finish that chapter.

 

The first few days back in the mystery shack were like this. Dipper focussed a lot on getting back on schedule. He felt bad for not being around Soos much, but it was simply something he had to do. Besides, Soos seemed busy too. Dipper had never known how busy it actually gets during this season.

 

But after a week, writer stopped locking himself inside his bedroom, and decided to either help out, or to just socialize a bit.

 

Dipper entered the gift shop, which was empty except for Leo, and a tourist looking at trashy souvenirs.

Leo immediatly turned to Dipper and waved him over.

"Man, I've been bored all morning. Where were you?" Leo talked as if he had known Dipper for a long time, which in some weird way, made Dipper feel really comfortable.

"Working." Dipper tried acting the same way as Leo, but it was much less natural and it felt way more awkward. Leo's attitude was very forgiving. He simply directed a smile at him, and leaned with his forearms on the counter.

"You're done working now, right? What was it that you did? Writing? Forgive me, I can't remember half of what Soos told me about you."

Dipper nodded, and leaned on the counter, mirroring the much taller man. "I'm back on schedule and should be done a little before the deadline. Im taking today off to relax." Dipper explained.

"Then you should help me around here. I'm starting to run out of reasons why people should buy all this crap." Leo said, a little too loudly.

The tourist turned around, and looked at him with pinched eyes. "I, of course, was talking about the shelf you were looking at. There is much better stuff over here." Leo pointed at the shelf closer to the exit, which had much more expensive crap on it.

 

Much more expensive, not much better.

 

The tourist bought it anyway. Dipper was amazed at how easily he had just done that, and his face showed it.

"It gets easier everytime." Leo said, as if he had messed up and fixed it many times.

"You made it look very easy." Dipper admitted. He had worked for his great uncle a lot, but his anxiety had always held him back.

Leo just shrugged, and casually leaned on the counter with his back. "This job stopped being challenging a long time ago."

"Melody told me you were an artist. Why are you still working here?" Dipper asked.

Leo laughed softly, but it sounded slightly sad to those who listened closely.

"I'm an artist, but not a very well known one. People are not very willing to pay for my art."

Another tourist walked into the giftshop. Well, Dipper thought it was a tourist. Leo's reaction told him otherwise.

"Bill!" He exclaimed, not very casually.

"Leo!" The man responded.

"Bill?" Dipper mumbled in confusion.

"Yes, Bill." The man confirmed. "That is my name."

"Bill, meet Dipper. The man Soos has been talking about."

"Ah. Dipper." Bill said, and he stepped towards the duo behind the counter. He extended his hand, and gave him a smile.

"The name's Bill, short for William Chain." Dipper hesitantly grabbed Bills hand to shake it, and inspected him closely.

Bill was a blonde man, taller than Dipper, but not as tall as Leo. His eyes were a golden hazel, and his smile was thin. He was wearing black sweater, which didn't do his pale skin wonders, but looked really good on him nonetheless.

"Dipper Pines." Dipper simply responded and stepped back.

"Bill is my best friend." Leo added to this slightly tense situation, to lighten it. "Has been for 8 years now." Did that mean Bill has lived in Gravity Falls for 8 years? Or had Dipper never come across the blonde when he was here.

He wondered.

"Is anything wrong?" Bill asked after Dipper had looked at him for a while without saying anything. A red flush rose to Dippers face as he excused himself.

"I knew a Bill once. You remind me of him." Bill smiled and leaned on the other side of the counter with his forearms.

"And what did you think of him?" His face read playfulness but also curiosity.

Dipper didn't want to tell him the truth. Bill Cipher had left a mark on him that probably was never going to fade. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Some of it he can't explain to get people to ubderstand.

"Let's just say I'm glad he's out of my life." Dipper then said, and sighed deeply.

Bill didn't respond to that, but Leo did.

"What happened to him?" He asked, invested in this weird past Dipper had.

"Not sure. I guess he vanished."

Leo felt the air tense up again, and he decided to change the subject.

"Anyway. Is there a reason you came here Will?"

Bill shrugged. "Not really. The weather was nice and I was bored. What else was there to do for me." He grinned and jumped up.

"I have an idea. How about you abandon your post, and come with me to Greasy's."

Leo laughed and shook his head. "I can't."

"Can't mister Pines here just take it over?" "No Bill. You know what happened last time."

Bill sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Fine." He hissed, and looked around for anything that could entertain him.

He rested his eyes on Dipper and grinned. "Dipdop. Go to Greasy's with me?" He asked in a very playful manner. Dipper didn't want to, but he was scared to say no.

Fortunatly, he was saved by a phone going off in Bill's pocket. Bill's expression immediatly dropped, and once he hung up the phone he rolled his eyes.

"Save that for later, my client just called and he needs my help. I'll see you around." He said, and he left without saying anything else. Dipper wasn't sure what to think of him.

"He's really funny." Leo said, reading Dippers expression. "If you were wondering why we're friends."

Dipper was still looking at the exit when Leo was talking to him. There was a debate going inside his head and he could barely hear what Leo was saying.

 

The writer and the artist passionately talked about their ambitions and found lots of similarities.

At the end of the day, after Leo left, Dipper sat on the porch and enjoyed the sky that shared the same colors as the tops of the trees.

He was glad to be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
> 
> Thanks Emma for helping me correct all if the mistakes I've made already.


	2. II

Dipper liked being outside during the fall, even though it was cold and often pretty wet. The scent and the colours were inspiring to him, and he had found it easy to keep up with his schedule. Deadlines weren't as threatening, and he was able to actually relax when he wanted to. Relaxing meant taking a walk through the forest on his own. Nobody to bother him, question him, ridicule or petty him. It was just him and the great unknown and the familiar.

He spent a lot of time in the gift shop with Leo too. The two got along really well. Dipper felt really comfortable around him, and Leo liked listening to Dipper. Their personalities didn't work on paper, but they were perfect in practise. Besides the gift shop, the writer and the artist didn't really see eachother much. That was until two weeks later. Leo asked him to come over for a drink. Dipper felt confident saying yes, even though he didn't drink. The concept of alcohol wasn't appealing to him at all. Why would anyone want to be drunk? Why would you want to risk forgetting a fun night?

So at week 2 of being back in Gravity Falls, at the very beginning of October, Dipper visited Leo on a saturday night. Leo lived in a similar cabin as the one Dipper was going to live in. A small house with a single floor made of wood.

There were only a few roads going through the woods, and his house wasn't exactly close to one. You couldn't get there by car easily. That didn't matter to Dipper, he liked walking through the forest.

He checked a few times wether he was at the right adress, and then carefully knocked on the door. At first the brunette wasn't sure if he had knocked hard enough. So he was going to knock again, but inches before his hand would hit the door, a blonde man opened the door.

"Bill?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"Welcome to Casa de Leo." The man said with a crooked grin on his face.

Dipper suddenly was second guessing his decisions, but before he could say anything else, Leo walked over.

"Dipper! Glad you could come." He said with a kind smile. Dipper then awkwardly stepped into the hallway, and took off his scarf. Bill was carefully inspecting Dipper while he was doing so.

"Leo.. You didn't tell me others were coming over too.." Dipper said, while unzipping his coat.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just Bill, if thats okay." Leo said, taking Dippers coat, and hanging it up.

"I'm the most fun one anyway." Bill said, and he walked into the small livingroom.

Dipper untied his shoes, and carefully placed them on a rack. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Hurry up so we can start playing!" Bill called from the small leather couch. It was worn, but it looked comfortable.

Dipper walked into the living room too, and looked around.

The place was cozy. Everything looked vintage, except for the tv. There were some paintings on the wall, accompannied by fairy lights, and a few candles on the shelves. The carpet beneath Dippers feet was stained but clean, and the walls were made of old wood. The room was nice and warm, and smelled of cinnamon. The dining table was small, meant for 2 people. The arch leading to the small kitchen was decorated with some hanging plants and postcards.

This style of decorating seemed very feminine to Dipper. As if a woman 'cozied' up the place for him. Leo had never mentioned a woman, though. He had lived alone for a long time, he told Dipper.

"Not very interested." Leo said. "I want to focus on my career before I bring someone home." Dipper couldn't agree more, a partner would just hinder his future. That's what he told himself when someone showed interest in him. He didn't mention his deeper self-esteem issues in his mind, he hadn't realised it yet.

He deemed himself not good enough. He didn't tell himself he didn't deserve someone. No, it was in his unconsciousness with every decision he made.

 

Dipper sat down on the couch as far away from Bill as he could, but the couch was small. It only left just enough room for one more person. That person was going to be Leo, but he had walked into the kitchen to get Dipper a glass of water.

Bill looked over and raised an eyebrow at the distance Dipper made. "I don't bite." He said, and he scooted over a little. " _On the first date._ " He then whispered in his ear.

Dipper immediatly stood up, and walked over to the kitchen. He could hear Bill laughing in the background.

"Don't let him scare you." Leo said, pouring Dipper his glass of water with a grin. Dipper blushed as he looked over his shoulder. Bill was innocently drinking his beer, as he looked at the paintings on the wall.

"I just wanted to ask where your restroom is." Dipper lied, and he tried to lean casually against the counter. Leo looked at him with a raised eyebrow and laughed. "Into the hallway on your right."

Dipper hurried his way to the bathroom and splashed some water into his face. He looked up into the mirror, and gave himself a determined look, but Dipper couldn't help himself but feel intimidated.

"Don't let him scare you." He repeated Leo's words, and he took a deep breath.

 

When he walked back into the room, Leo and Bill were busy deciding on a game mode. Dipper awkwardly sat down next to Leo, on the other side of the couch from Bill.

"Dipper! What game mode do you prefer. Team mode or singleplayer?" Bill said, pointing at the screen. It showed him Mario Kart. 

"I don't really..." Dipper couldn't finish his sentence, because Bill selected team vs. team. "I'll show you how it's done." Bill said, and he placed his beer on the coffee table. Leo handed Dipper a Wii-remote, and started selecting his own character. Dipper decided it would be better to just go along with it. He hadn't played Mario Kart in a long time. Hell, he hadn't played any game in a while. Especially on the Wii.

After a short time Dipper settled on Yoshi, Bill on Waluigi and Leo on princess Peach.

"Go to my team." Bill said calmly. Dipper hesitated for a second, but after Bill indirectly shoved him through Leo, Dipper switched quick. Leo stayed on his own in the blue team.

 

The first race, Dipper was still rusty. He was getting used to the controls again. Bill was uncharastically patient with him, and soon he got pretty good. Bill finished first every race, but Leo seemed to have gotten used to it.

Towards the end, the ones actually competing were Bill and Dipper. Dipper's competitive nature got challenged for the first time in a while, and he enjoyed himself a lot. Losing every time was frustrating, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing.

The last race was the most intense. Dipper was determined to beat Bill.

Last lap, Dipper hit an item-block. Its the blue shell. "Don't you dare mister Pines." Bill said with a calmly but stern voice. Dipper did his best evil laugh and sent the blue shell off. It hit Bill in just front of the finish line, which gave Dipper the ability to pass him by and finish first.

"NO!"

"YES!"

Dipper jumped up into the air, and laughed victouriously. Meanwhile, Leo was laughing so hard he almost choked. Bill was quietly facepalming himself.

It didn't matter in the end though, the red team which both Bill and Dipper were on, won by far.

Leo stood up once he got his breath back, to get himself and Bill another beer. "Dipper?" He simply asked, holding up a bottle. Dipper shook his head, and handed him his empty glass. "Just some water please."

Leo walked into the kitchen and Bill and Dipper were left alone for a short while. For the first time Dipper didn't feel uncomfortable.

"Im proud of you kid, you really impressed me near the end." Bill said, and he gave Dipper a pat on the shoulder. Dipper smiled softly, and looked down. "Thanks."

"You haven't decrowned the king yet, though." Bill said a little bit louder, while pointing at the screen with a crooked grin. Bill had the most points of all.

"Maybe next time." Dipper said, but his voice cracked nervously at the end, which made Bill laugh. "Maybe next time."

Leo clumsily walked into the room with two bottles of beer and a glass of water. He managed to place everything on the coffee table, and took place next to Bill. The other side of Bill this time. Dipper hadn't noticed that Bill had scooted over to him when they were talking. That was probably because Dipper avoided eye contact with him. There was something about Bills gaze that was unsettling to Dipper.

The rest of the night was more calm, and they mainly just talked. Bill was very interested in hearing about Dippers past in Gravity Falls and about his new house, and Dipper was excited enough to tell him almost everything. About the Mystery Shack, about Mabel, about his currently developping career as a writer.

Some parts he left out, of course.

 

Around 1 AM Dipper decided he was getting tired, and he wanted to go home. Both Leo and Bill offered to bring him home by bicycle, but Dipper politely declined. "It's not that far." He excused himself.

With his coat zipped up tight, and his scarf carefully wrapped around his neck, he said his farewells to the boys and left the scene.

Dipper had enjoyed himself a lot that night. It had been a long time since he had done anything like that. Most of his friends were always busy, but he also found it hard to arrange something like it himself.

'William Chain' was a complete mystery to Dipper still. His personality seemed to change every minute. It was almost like Bill didn't know much about himself either.

That didn't stop Dipper from starting to like him a little. He may be blunt, but that made him funny in his own way. Bill didn't show it as much, but Dipper noticed how smart the man actually was. There was a lot of things Bill knew and understood, some things Dipper had studied for a long time at university and still didn't truly understand.

 

 

Dipper was about halfway home, when he heard footsteps behind him. Dipper immediatly turned around to see who or what it was.

 

It was Bill.

 

"Dipdop!" He exclaimed, and he jogged over. Bill held out what seemed to be Dippers phone.

"You left it on the table." He said, as Dipper grabbed it out of Bills hand and slid it into his pocket.

"Thanks." Dipper said, and he looked into the blondes eyes. At least, he tried to. It was really dark outside.

They stood very close to each other. A little too close, in Dippers opinion.

Bill didn't seem to mind though. There was a lot going on in his head. It was almost like he was planning to do something.

 

They looked at eachother for a while. Dipper started to feel really uncomfortable. "I'm just going to.." he started out, but once again he got interruptrd by Bill.

"Wait, Dipper." He said, and he grabbed Dippers arm. Dipper looked at Bill with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been meaning to ask.. but, I didn't really have the chance. What happened between you and the other Bill?"

Dipper didn't understand why he wanted to know this, so he wasn't going to tell him. He stayed silent for a while before he finally opened his mouth.

"He caused a lot of messed up stuff in my life." Dipper tried to be as vague as possible. "Some things he won't ever make right."

There were many things that have scarred him to this day. There were many nights filled with nightmares, where he didn't sleep at all. Many days where he found it hard to take care of himself. Days where he just wandered around his small home.

Dipper didn't say much with words, but he said everything with his expression. And Bill read it with care.

There had been a moment where Bill wanted to react to it, but his fussy thoughts prevented that.

 

 

Bill finally let go of Dippers arm. "I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll see you around." Bill then said, and he turned away.

"I'll see you around." Dipper repeated him.

 

 

Dipper didn't see him around for a while, which surprised him. He actually felt like they made a little beginning of a friendship that night, three weeks ago. He had been expecting him at the gift shop. He was unconsciously waiting for the tall blonde.

Leo noticed it, but didn't talk to Dipper about it.

He mentioned it to Bill, but he dismissed it.

 

"I'm just busy."

"You're avoiding him. Why?"

Bill looked at him with is eyebrows turned town. "I'm not." He said, and he took a sip of his coffee.

 

They were in Bills house, on this sunday morning. They planned on going out for breakfast to catch up, but the weather didn't allow them to go far. Well, Leo didn't mind, Bill did.

"I thought you said you wanted to get to know him better, Will." Leo said, and he walked to the dining table where Bill was seated.

"I never said that, Glasses." Leo didn't like that nickname, but it was something Bill did often. Just call people by something from their appearance.

Leo sighed deeply, and wrapped his hands around the coffee mug. "You can tell me what happened between the two of you. You know I care more for you than for Dipper."

It was true, but he really liked Dipper too, and he felt bad for him, and he felt accountable for his asshole best friend.

"Nothing happened. " Bill said, and he rolled his eyes.

Stroking his ego didn't help, so Leo switched plans.

"I'm going to bring him over to your party on halloween, and you two are going to have fun."

Bill rolled his eyes at this, because he knew Leo was going to do so, no matter what.

"Fine."

 

That monday Leo and Dipper met up at the end of the afternoon in the gift shop.

"Bill invited you to his halloween party." Leo said, after Dipper had been distant for a while. The writer sprung up immediatly, both excited and confused.

"Really?" Dipper questioned him. Leo nodded.

He gave him the details, shortly before the end of his shift. It was on sunday the 31st of October, costume required, starts around 8 o'clock.

 

Dipper both looked forward to it, and dreaded it. Dipper didn't like parties all that much. It often gave him anxiety. But, he really wanted to talk to Bill again. He still wondered why Bill avoided him after that night.

Dipper also wondered why he cared this much about it. Before that night, he had been the one avoiding him. He had found him too mysterious, if that was even a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again Emma! You flippin Rock!


	3. III

The week before the party was very stressful for Dipper. He often felt the need to talk to Leo, to either ask him questions about the party or to tell him he was not going to come. Leo talked him into coming every time though.

"There are only a few people coming, his house isn't big enough to host a huge party anyway."

"Costumes are optional. If you don't feel comfortable wearing one, I'll save mine for next year too."

"You don't have to drink."

"Yes, Bill really invited you."

 

Dipper was glad that he had found a friend that understood the way he worked, but he also didn't like being pitied. Which is probably the reason why he went to the party, in a werewolf costume.

 

Bill lived in a two story house on the edge of town. Dipper planned on walking there, even though the distance was a little bit too big. Dipper didn't really have a choice since he had no car, but he didn't mind either.

Leo knew Dipper was going to walk, so he asked Soos if he could borrow the golfcart for the night.

  
When Dipper walked outside, Leo simply drove his way and honked a few times.

"I got us a sweet ride." Leo said, and he winked.

"The old golfcart? I'm amazed, how does that thing still work?"

"I don't know, but I do know it'll take us to the party and back. Get in."

 

Dipper smiled, and he looked at his driver. Leo was wearing a vampire hunter costume. It was actually really impressive. You could see how he had paid attention to the details. It was probably also very illegal. He had a very detailed and realistic crossbow hanging on his back.

Dipper wasn't sure what else he expected from Leo.

  
Leo raced off once the werewolf put on his seatbelt.

He probably went over the speed limit by a lot, but there were no cops near this road anyway.

  
"I'm so glad you decided to come." Leo said, and he looked away from the road to give Dipper a smile.

"Eyes on the road please." Dipper said nervously, as he held tighter on to the handle above him.

"Sorry." Leo slowed down a little to settle Dipper's nerves.

"I really wanted to." Dipper then said, and he let go of the handle.

Leo simply nodded at that. He knew. He hadn't known Dipper for that long, but in the month they hung out, he had learned enough to understand.

 

"Nice costume, by the way." Leo commented after a short while of silence. Dipper looked at Leo and smiled shortly.

"Thanks, Mabel made it for me." Dipper said, and glanced at himself in the mirror above the two.

"I'm going to have to ask her to make one for me next year." Leo said, as he drove into the town.

"Why? Your costume is really good already." Dipper asked.

 

They approached Bill's house.

 

"Bill made it for me. Besides, I've had this one for a few years now, I think its time for a change." Leo said, and he parked the car half on the sidewalk, half on the road.

 

The two got out, and Leo banged on Bill's door. The blonde opened the door shortly after, and let them in.

"Ah, Leo, Dipper." The blonde man said. He was dressed as a vampire, well, he was almost dressed as a vampire. It seemed like Leo and Dipper walked in as he was still getting his costume on. His white Victorian blouse was still unbottoned, revealing his chest, and he was still wearing his sweatpants.

He did already have his makeup on, and his fangs and red contact lenses in.

  
It now became apparent that Leo and Bill were matching. Dipper longed for his twin sister, who he had matched with year after year.

  
The place was quite big, unlike what Leo had told him. It was decorated with various Halloween ornaments. A bunch of pumpkins, cobwebs with plastic spiders, there was a smoke machine in the corner and a life sized witch. There was music playing with a spooky undertone. Bill had shoved his dining table against the dark grey wall and had placed different drinks and snacks on it.

The door to the stairs was closed, and Bill had hung a sign with a big red cross on it.

  
"You're early." Bill simply said, as he was buttoning his shirt up. Dipper hadn't noticed he had been looking at his chest until he couldn't see it anymore.

Luckily, Bill hadn't noticed either.

"I had to suprise Dipper." Leo said, and he explained how they got here and why.

 

Bill laughed at that.

 

"That golfcart is really dangerous, but of course that won't stop Leo." He added, as he took off his pants.

Apparently Bill didn't mind undressing in front of Leo and Dipper. Dipper could see why, but that didn't stop him from blushing and feeling a little embarrased.

Leo laughed and walked over to the big black couch. "How many people are coming?" He said, and he sat down.

Dipper soon followed because he couldn't bare it anymore.

 

"About 15." Bill said, while struggling to put on his pants.

Dipper wondered how many familiar faces he was going to see. He hoped for many, but feared there would be none.

 

"That's more than you said you were going to invite." Leo said. It was more than Leo had told Dipper, anyway.

"Turns out I forgot some people. I somehow have to keep up my status, you know." Bill said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It wasn't to Dipper. In fact, it was one of the dumbest things in the world. He didn't tell him that though.

 

When Bill finally had his pants on after 2 agonizing minutes, there was another knock on the door.

"I said 9 PM!" Bill grumbled, and he walked to the front door.

 

Leo turned to Dipper with a sympathetic smile. "Hope you don't mind?"

He was talking about the number of people that were going to show up. Dipper didn't really mind, but he did prefer the original 10 Leo had reported to him.

He just shook his head in response.

 

Bill returned with an unfamiliar face to Dipper, but Leo seemed to know him well.

"Matt!" He exclaimed, and he walked over to give him a hug.

"Leo!" The man said, and they both walked over to the couch.

Bill had dissapeared into the kitchen.

Leo and Matthew talked a bit before Leo remembered Dipper probably didn't know him.

 

"I'm sorry, Matt, this is Dipper, Dipper, this is Matthew." "Just call me Matt."

Dipper extended his hand to do a handshake, but Matthew extended a fist for a fistbump. Dipper awkwardly bumped Matt's fist.

"Nice to meet you." Dipper said, and Matthew laughed. "Nice to meet you too, Dipper."

Matthew was also wearing a costume, but a really lazy one. Dipper guessed he was a zombie, due to some fake blood on his face, his dark circles and the ripped clothes. It wasn't much of a costume besides that.

 

Bill walked into the room with a few glasses, and he walked over to the music station to modify the playlist.

"How come you're so early?" Bill asked, but his voice didn't really sound interested.

"Bus arrived 20 minutes before schedule." Matt simply replied, and he grinned. "I'm not the first to arrive though." he added as he glanced over to the duo on the couch.

"I had to suprise Dipper, and I don't like waiting." Leo said, and he lazily leaned back.

"You're the most patient man I know." Bill said and turned around to actually look at the people he was talking to.

"When I don't _have_ to wait." Leo then admitted.

 

Bill wanted to sit down next to the boys, but there was yet another knock on the door.

"It's 8:30!" Bill exclaimed and he rolled his eyes.

This time he walked in with a female dressed as a nurse. Not a slutty one though. Just a nurse with blood.

 

She walked over to hug the boys, but when she saw Dipper she simply extended her hand.

"I'm Sharon." "Dipper." They shook hands and she sat down on the other couch.

They all talked for a bit and Dipper found out she was actually a nurse, and she just squirted some fake blood on her uniform.

Around 8:45 there was another knock on the door, but this time Bill said nothing. When he returned with another female the whole introducing cycle began again.

 

Dipper was introduced to 7 others until he saw his first familiar face.

 

"Wendy?" "Dipper?"

The two hugged for a long time before the taller female let go, and dragged him to an empty corner

"Dipper? What are you doing here?" Wendy asked, while smiling brightly.

"I'm asking myself the same thing." Dipper said with a soft voice, and he looked around them.

Wendy laughed and hugged him again.

"I thought I had to wait another week to see you again." Wendy said and she let go of the werewolf.

"Same thing here." Dipper simply said.

 

The two hadn't seen each other in a year. They were both always too busy to visit. When Dipper told her he was going to move to Gravity Falls in the fall, they hadn't really tried to meet up either. They had decided to reunite the week after Halloween due to a busy schedule.

 

In the corner of his eyes he saw some other familiar faces. It was the whole gang Wendy still hung out with. The redhead waved them all over.

They all were excited to see Dipper again. Robbie was less excited to see him than the others, but still kind of was.

 

They all caught up with each other. They talked about their jobs, studies, hobbies, romances, heart breaks and several other events.

Dipper enjoyed himself. He didn't think he was going to , but he was.

After a short while Bill joined to check up on them.

 

"You already know each other, I see." Bill said, and he smiled at everyone.

"A childhood friend." Wendy said, and she gave Dipper a brotherly bump on the shoulder.

"Ah, I see." He said, and he took a sip of his drink. Bill didn't really look anyone in the eyes when he said that, he was just staring into his drink.

"Where did you two meet, actually?" Wendy then asked, realising she did not know this.

 

Bill looked at Dipper as if it was hard to remember.

"At the gift shop." Bill then said, and he nodded towards Leo in the distance. "Dipper suddenly was there when I came to visit."

"I had been there the whole afternoon." Dipper said, and gave Bill a glance.

 

The look Bill returned was a mixture of different emotions. Relief, confusion, and playfulness. None of them really made sense to Dipper. Maybe he just had read Bills face wrong.

"I was there the day before that, but you weren't there." Bill laughed, and he stepped towards Dipper.

"Touché."

 

The rest of the night was the same to Dipper, except that Bill didn't really leave his side. The friendship they started off a few weeks ago started to develop even more. Dipper found out a few things about Bill by just listening to conversations the vampire was holding.

 

For instance, he had been in Gravity Falls for about 9 years. He moved there because he had to rest and recover from an unknown illness to Dipper. Dipper had looked at him for a while to find any traces, but gave up once people started noticing he was staring at the man.

He was, in fact, not dating Leo. Neither of them were interested in the other. With that, Dipper also found out Bill was in fact, attracted to men. This was a bit of a suprise to Dipper, in some weird way, considering how many lady friends he had invited to this party, and lot of them seemed to be attracted to him.

 

Not that Dipper blamed them. Bill was a very handsome man.

 

And lastly, he found out that Bill was really good at telling spooky stories.

 

At the end of the night, they had all gathered in Bill's backyard, and made a campfire. It started out with mediocre stories. Stories they have heard before, stories that didn't get them on the edge of their seat. But when Bill started telling his story, everyone was silent. The fire looked like it was moving with him as he told his tale.

 

"I knocked on the door. Nobody opened it though. In fact, I had to knock five times, before I heard footsteps." Bill moved a little closer to the fire to make his face more visible.

"A lady opened the door. A lady clad in red, black, and a shade I had never seen. I asked her: Miss? Could I please use your phone? I had been walking around for about three hours, I needed to find a way home. But she stared me down with an eerie gaze. There were a lot of things going around in her head. Her eyes showed it. I looked past her, you know. To see what her home was like. Just like the exterior, it was all victorian aged. When my eyes locked with hers again, I felt a liquid run down my back. I wanted to touch it, to find out what it was, but I couldn't move. I was locked in place. I tried to talk, but I seemed to talk a language that I couldn't understand. The lady then smiled, and closed the door. There I was. Stuck. I had no idea how to get out of it. After what seemed like a whole week, I fell down. I was able to move and talk again, and I took that oppertunity to get the hell out of there."

The way Bill talked, made it seem like it had really happened to him.

"What happened after?" Someone asked.

"I couldn't find my home for at least 3 months. I had to camp out in the unknown woods. At sundown, I could feel the liquid again. It was thick, and hot. It was like it was burning my skin, but it was never really there. And at night, I could see the lady. She was watching me from the shadows. Looking, and smiling." His voice became a whisper, and he looked just a little bit past Dipper. Everyone looked at Dipper too.

Dipper looked behind him with no hesitation. There was nothing there, of course. Which made Bill laugh. He had succeeded in scaring Dipper. Which wasn't very hard, but Bill felt victorious anyway.

 

"Very funny." Dipper said, and he rolled his eyes. Others started laughing too, but less hard. They had been spooked too, but weren't going to admit it.

"Ah cheer up, Mr. Pines. It's just a story. Why don't you tell one to spoop me."

 

Dipper accepted the challenge.

 

"As some of you may know, I'm a writer. Nowadays, I get around just fine, but for a long time I had to work an extra job to pay the bills. I took on a job at a gas station in the middle of nowhere. I worked long shifts. Most of them were during the day, but sometimes I worked at night. There were days where nobody would stop there. I didn't mind at all. I could just sit around, read books, write short stories, and watch old movies on the little TV that was placed above the counter. It was probably meant for the security cameras, but nobody ever checked whether I was actually doing my job, so I got away with it.

This one night, I had to work a particularly long shift from 12 AM to 6 AM. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I just opened my laptop to finish an assignment. However, around 1 AM someone walked in. It was an old man. He was balding but the little hair he did have was a dark grey. The bags under his eyes were dark and his eyes were tinted yellow. He asked me where Margeret was a few times, but every time I had to dissapoint him and tell him I didn't know a Margeret. He then whispered something I could not understand, and left."

Dipper then paused to look everyone in the eye. He saw interest, he saw suspicion. It was going well.

"I didn't see anyone for at least an hour and a half. Of course, I was suspicious of who Margeret was, so I turned to Google. I found something in the archives talking about a Margeret who went missing in my area, but it the article was around 30 years old. I told myself it was silly to think the man was looking for her, so I brushed it off. When the man walked in again, and yet again asked for Margeret, I told him that Margeret had never been here, and he should look elsewhere. I shouldn't have said that, but I'll get to that later. The man left after saying some words I could not understand. I looked up the article again, I was too suspicious not to. The article said she had gone missing under mysterious conditions, and they were likely never going to find her. The man who had walked in was also mentioned in the article. Apparently he was her husband of 15 years. Just when I wanted to read up upon him, he walked in again. He started rambling about the fact that Margeret had to be here, there was no way she wasn't. I wanted to tell him she was not here again, but he had grabbed me by the neck, and started screaming at me how I had disrespected him, and how he was going to kill me. I was helpless, this man was going to choke me. His grip tightened, and I couldn't breathe anymore. But against all odds my boyfriend at the time walked in to stop him. He fled the scene, and we called the police. They never caught him. I stopped working there not too long after. After some time I looked up the article again to read about the man, to give the police some clues. There was not much to read about him, though."

Dipper paused again, and looked at Bill.

 

"The man had comitted suicide 1 year after Margeret went missing."

 

It was silent for a while. Dipper seemed to have spooped them good.

 

"Wow, I'm impressed." Bill then said, and smiled.

 

Then Wendy spoke up. "Did that actually happen though? When you worked at the gas station."

Dipper smiled and shrugged. "Maybe." He said.

 

After that they just chilled out, and gradually, people started to leave. It was getting late enough. Holes started to appear in the once perfectly round circle of people, So the handful of people sat down closer to each other, and Bill sat down next to Dipper on his bench.

 

They talked about nothing much. Dipper noticed how the others have had a few drinks and their behavior was funny to observe. Wendy got very talkative, Bill got more tacky, Matt became more emotional and Leo... Well, Leo wasn't affected very much.

 

Wendy was really talkative, but also really tired. She fell asleep in the middle of a sentence.

"Alright, I think it's time for bed." Leo said, and he woke her up. "Should I bring you home?" He asked. Wendy sleepily nodded yes.

 

Before Dipper could say anything, Leo assured him he would pick him up after he brought Wendy home, and picked up that book he promised to lend to Dipper.

When Wendy couldn't really walk by herself, Leo simply picked her up in his arms, and wished Matt an extra goodnight because he was sobbing.

 

"What if something happens? Leo be careful!"

 

After Leo and Wendy had left the scene, a certain someone scooted closer to Dipper, and rested his head on Dippers shoulder.

"The furr is really soft." The blonde said, and he nuzzled his face into the soft costume Dipper was wearing.

Dipper both wanted to protest and wanted it to last. He liked this soft side of Bill he hadn't seen before.

 

Matt left soon after. His girlfriend picked him up and made sure he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Isabelle! You're my hero." "Yes yes, now get in the car." Isabelle was smiling, but Dipper remembered Matt telling him that he wasn't allowed to drink much because he was going to meet with Isabelle's parents the day after.

 

Then it was just Bill and Dipper. Their silence was broken by Bill.

 

"I'm sorry." He said, and he faced up to Dipper. Dipper was confused. Bill hadn't done anything outrageous that night.

"What for?" He asked, and he looked back at Bill.

"For avoiding you." Bill said after a short while of silence.

 

They both looked into the fire.

"It's okay." Dipper said, but he still was filled with questions.

"Why did you though?" Dipper asked after another short silence.

Bill closed in on Dipper, and wrapped his arms around him.

"I thought you were angry at me." Bill said.

Dipper wanted to ask why, but the phone in his fuzzy pocket went off.

 

It was Leo.

"Dipper! I'm so sorry, but the golf cart is out of gas. I don't think I will be able to pick you up..."  
Dipper wasn't sure what to do about it, but luckily Bill came up with a solution.  
"You can spend the night over here, and I'll bring you home tomorrow."

 

Dipper was considering his options. He wasn't sure whether he should spend the night there. Did he trust Bill enough? Kinda. He also didn't want to create a problem for Leo.

 

He accepted his offer, and Bill drunkily extended his hand as if they were closing in on a deal. When Dipper asked why, Bill laughed it off and he said it was a habit from work.

 

Bill showed Dipper the guestroom, and he handed him a shirt from his own closet to sleep in. It was a bit too big for Dipper, but that made it even more comfortable.

 

"Goodnight Mr. Pines..." Bill said, and he gave him a tight hug. Dipper laughed. "Goodnight Mr. Chain." Bill didn't really respond to that, but let him go anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys hadnt noticed Emma is the best
> 
>  
> 
> Also follow @semmyjart on IG where I post my own art regularly. (Theres a lot of GF fan art already...)
> 
> Xx thx


	4. IV

Dipper was awakened by the sound of his phone going off.

 

It was Soos.

 

"Dude! Where are you?" Soos shouted. Dipper rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and yawned.

"I'm at..." He had to think for a second, but his oversized T-shirt reminded him where he was.

"I'm at Bill's house. I'll be back in a few hours."

Dipper could hear Soos laugh. "Alright, I got worried there dude. Please let me know next time."

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to having someone waiting for me at home." Dipper excused himself.

"It's okay. See ya later dude."

Then he hung up.

 

Dipper looked around the room. It was clearly meant to be a guest room for Leo. He could spot different scented candles and stains from paint on the desk. The walls were a cool brown. They both matched the rest of the house, and Leo's living room.

The clock on the wall told him it was 10:50 already.

 

Wearing only a T-shirt and his boxershorts, Dipper tip-toed down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as he could possibly be. His eyes scanned the room once he stepped on the cold floor. The livingroom was pretty much clean already, all of the cups were gone, the table was back at it's original spot... The only thing that was missing was Bill.

 

But that was easily explained to Dipper, Bill had left a note on the table.

_Out to get us breakfast, I'll be back around 11._

_x B_

 

Dipper wasn't sure what to do until Bill was back, so he just sat down on the couch.

 

He thought about the night before, and he smiled. He had enjoyed himself a lot.

Then he thought about his sleep. Which is weird to think about, but he kept track of his dreams. There were times where his nightmares got really bad, and times where they were tame compared to the regular ones. His dreams told him a lot. They had been really bad for the past few weeks.

 

But this night he had slept particularly well. No nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night. No. He slept really well. He had dreamed about beating the monster that had been bothering him since he had returned to Gravity Falls, which is odd, but very satisfying too. He hadn't done it on his own, he knew that much, but he didn't know who or what had helped him.

 

Dipper looked at the note again. It was odd how much Dipper appreciated it. From the fact that Bill had thought about him, to the little x. Or maybe the fact that Bill just used 'B' to let him know it was actually him that wrote the note, and not someone else. As if it could've been someone else.

He folded it, and awkwardly held it in his hand, since he had no pockets.

 

 

Dipper could hear someone unlocking the door, and soon after Bill walked in.

 

"Good morning." Bill said. Dipper looked at Bill's face. He was wearing sunglasses even though it was a rainy autumn morning.

"Good morning..." Dipper replied, and he walked over to Bill. He was carrying a few bags, so Dipper offered him some help. Bill dismissed it.

"Don't worry Dipdop, I got it."

 

Dipper sat down at the table as Bill was unpacking.

"I got us pancakes from Greasy's." Bill said, and he brought the food to the table. Dipper helped with unpacking and they sat down to eat together.

 

"You cleaned up rather fast. What time were you up?" Dipper said as he stuffed his face with pancakes.

Bill shrugged, and removed his sunglasses. They revealed dark circles under his eyes.

"Early. I don't really need much sleep. How about you? Did you sleep well?" Bill said, and he smiled at Dipper. It was almost as if he was hiding a grin.

"I slept really well. Much better than I expected." Dipper wanted to mention his dream, but shrugged it off because he didn't think Bill would care.

"Good to hear." Bill said, and he poured both of them a glass of orange juice.

 

They ate in a comfortable silence after that. Bill seemed to be in deep thought, and Dipper didn't feel the need to disturb it.

 

Dipper often looked up to Bill and watched him, when Bill wasn't noticing him. There was something so mesmerizing about the way Bill moved and looked. He had a tranquility hanging over him, but it was also as if he could do anyting at any second. His wisdom was also hiding in there, and Dipper could see it. It was hard to spot, but it was there. From the way he did everything carefully, and almost perfectly, or till the way you could almost hear him thinking.

 

Dipper made sure Bill didn't notice him watching though.

 

After a few minutes Bill spoke.

"There are a few things I've been wondering about... Why did you decide to come back to Gravity Falls?"

That question caught Dipper off guard, and he wasn't sure how to answer it.

 

Why _did_ he come back? Or more so, why did he feel the need to leave his 'home'? Maybe because Piedmont was never really his 'home'. Yes, he had spent his childhood there and his parents still lived in the same home. He loved his parents, he had enjoyed his childhood, but there was always something off.

 

Leaving Piedmont wasn't a decision he made at some point, it was always a plan. Going to Gravity Falls was the decision he made after visiting it for the first time. _When_ he was going to was the hardest question. There were a lot of things holding him back, a lot of issues delaying his move. But, those were also the issues that pushed him over the edge. Issues he had to deal with, and he could only do so here in Gravity Falls.

 

"A lot of different reasons, to be honest." Dipper said, and he looked Bill in the eyes.

"Name the most important one." Bill said. He didn't ask, it sounded more demanding, though his face showed curiosity.

Dipper thought for a while.

"Some demons I have to fight off, I guess." Dipper said casually.

 

Bill's breath stopped for a second, but when Dipper looked at him with a raised eyebrow, he seemed to shake it off.

"You should tell me if I can help you with that." He said uncharacteristically, and he continued to eat.

Dipper watched him for a little bit, because he wanted to understand, but then finished his pancakes as well.

 

Dipper borrowed some more clothes from Bill to get home. They were all slightly too big, but because Bill mostly wears tighter clothes, it wasn't too bad.

 

Bill brought him home by motorbike, since he had no car.

 

"Grab onto my waist, We're going to go fast."

 

Bill didn't lie. The motorbike was probably very illegal.

 

Dipper had both of his arms wrapped tightly around Bill's waist, and squeezed his body against Bill's back. Oddly enough, he didn't feel as endangered as he probably was. He trusted Bill enough to not crash and kill them. Or maybe it was the big helmet. He didn't think about any of it. He thought about Bill's concern for him that morning. He thought about the note in his pocket. He thought about the clothes he was wearing, and the fact that he was going to to have to return them to him.

"Doesn't really matter when you're going to bring them back, I have a closet full. I'm not going to miss that shirt at all."

 

 

They were at the Mystery Shack in no time, due to Bill's excessive speed.

 

Leo was back at the gift shop, and he was really happy about the way Bill and Dipper sat on the motorbike. Dipper didn't understand why, but Bill seemed to get it. Bill rolled his eyes at Leo, and he said farewell.

 

"I'm glad you guys are cool." Leo said, and he lazily leaned on the counter. Dipper smiled. He was glad as well. Really glad.

Leo looked at Dipper's clothes and grinned. "Are you wearing Bill's shirt?"

Dipper still didn't understand why Leo was acting like that.

"Yes, I didn't want to go in public with my werewolf costume. Halloween is over." Dipper said, and he made his way behind the counter. He didn't feel like doing his actual job right now.

Leo looked away from Dipper to hide his expression. Dipper was still ignorant of Leo's feelings about him and Bill, and he wanted to keep it that way. There was something really funny about it.

Leo thought Dipper and Bill made a cute duo no doubt. There was something about their awkward but perfect dynamic. The way Bill challenged Dipper and revealed a hidden side. He loved it.

 

Leo greeted a tourist that just walked in, and picked up his pencil again. He had been sketching new mysteries all morning, and it didn't look like he was going to stop.

Dipper looked at Leo's sketchbook, and inspected the designs closely. Leo hadn't really been showing his art to Dipper, which dissapointed Dipper a little. He was very impressed at Leo's skill and he could look at his sketches all day.

 

"It's such a shame you're still here." Dipper said unconsciously. When he realised what he had said out loud without any context, a red flush rose to his face.

"Is that so." Leo raised an eyebrow at Dipper.

"I mean in terms of like.. The gift shop- art..." Dipper tried to explain himself, but he already felt too embarrased to form human sentences.

Leo laughed. "I get it, don't worry." Leo winked at him, and focussed on the designs again.

 

Dipper hated that he was like this. He wished he was confident but calm. He wished he was a little more like Leo, or like his twin. Mabel seemed to be confident and positive all the time. Dipper knew this wasn't entirely true, but the world didn't. Mabel was able to show her best sides all of the time. Dipper had a hard time doing so.

  
They hung out for a while, until Dipper's anxiety pushed him to his bedroom. He was going to move to his cabin in a few days, and he wanted to be prepared. He was on schedule, but he felt the need to some more writing in advance. Besides, there is some packing he needed to do. He needed some time to get into it again. It had been a few days, and he felt entirely different than he had felt last week.

 

He wrote until late in the evening. He had taken a break for dinner, but not much else. Around 1 AM his eyes started to feel heavy, and around 2 AM he actually went to bed.

 

His nightmare started the second he fell asleep. This was something he was used to, but didn't get any easier. It was almost like something was out to get him when he was most vulnerable. He longed for the force that had helped him defeat the monster the night before, because the monster was back, and it was twice as big. It seemed to be angrier now too, and it was being extra hard on Dipper. It trapped him, agonized him, tortured him. It was enjoying Dipper's pain.

  
He barely got any sleep that night, barely any sleep the night after that.

  
Dipper didn't know why his nightmares were this bad. They usually got worse as his anxiety got worse, or when he was feeling depressed. He had been feeling really good ever since he returned to Gravity Falls. He was back in his natural habitat, surrounded by comfortable people.

 

Leo and Bill noticed how bad Dipper was looking when they met up at Leo's place. The bags under his eyes were getting very dark, and he continiously was very distracted. Leo had shown his concern, but Dipper shrugged it off.

"I've been having bad dreams. Nothing new."

Bill didn't show it, but he was concerned for Dipper as well.

"Do you have someone to talk to?" Leo asked, and he lowered the volume of the TV. Dipper nodded, and raised the volume again. Dipper didn't like being the centre of attention, and especially when they were pitying him. In his eyes, at least.

 

Leo and Bill looked at each other, and mentally agreed to leave it there. This was something Dipper didn't want to talk about, and they didn't feel the need to pester him with it. They were going to remember it though, and try to keep an eye on Dipper. That's what they told each other after Dipper had left.

But it didn't seem necessary. Dipper's nightmares started to be similar to the one he had a few nights ago, when he was at Bill's house. It took him a few nights, but the force that had helped him before, had returned. The nightmare had died down to bad dreams and Dipper was able to fight the monster by himself.  
He didn't know what this sudden force was, but he was thankful for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emma is such a doll. 
> 
> Also, Ive been posting more GF fanart on both my instagram and my tumblr: Both @semmyjart
> 
> So give it a follow if you want to see Leo and my version of Bill and Dipper ~


	5. V

Moving day approached, and Dipper was nervous. He didn't know why, because he had taken care of absolutely everything. Besides, Mabel was going to come over for about a week to turn his house into a home. She had already described her big plans to Dipper, and he wasn't mad about it. He wasn't sure about the 120 gallon fish tank, but everything else sounded nice.

Dipper picked his sister up at the bus stop, together with Soos and Melody. 

Mabel squeezed Dipper until he couldn't breathe anymore, and yelled a few times. 

"DIPPER! WE'RE FINALLY TOGETHER AT LAST!"

  
Dipper wanted to tell her that he had missed her, but he literally couldn't breathe. When Mabel was done, she let him go.

"Dippin' Dots! Im so happy!" She exclaimed one last time.

"Missed you too, Mabel." Dipper finally said, and he tried to catch his breath. 

Soos threw his arms up in the air. "Mystery Twins reunited!" He yelled, and he hugged Mabel tightly. 

 

They all returned to the Mystery Shack, where they had lunch together before anything else. Melody had made sandwiches for them. Soos asked away about Mabel's life. Dipper didn't need to, he knew everything already. The twins hadn't seen each other in a month or two, but that didn't mean they didn't talk. They talked everyday. 

 

Dipper showed Mabel his room after they were finished. They got a little sentimental together, recalling all of the memories they had made here. 

 

"That time you wanted your own room, but came back here the same night." Mabel said, and she laid her head on Dippers shoulder. 

 "We haven't slept in the same room in forever." Dipper said, and he brushed away some of Mabels hair that was tickling his face. 

 

"8 years." Mabel said, and they sat in silence for a while. 

 

They talked about everything, but there was this one thing they didn't talk about. They didn't mention it, and if it came up, they either stopped talking or found another way to avoid it.

 

"We should have a sleepover." Mabel then said, and she perked up. "Drag a mattress up here. It'll be fun!" 

Dipper laughed. Were they too old? No. Not really. So a sleepover is exactly what they had that night. They didn't care about the fact that the day after was going to be a long one. 

 

They talked until after midnight, and it felt good. It was nice to sleep in the same room as his twin. 

 

Around 1 AM Dipper checked his phone whether he had missed some messages. 

 

He frowned when he saw who it was. 

 

_[5:03 PM] J: I saw a moving truck leave your old home._

 

Dipper wasn't in the mood to respond, so he locked his phone, and went to sleep. At least, he tried to. Anxiety gave him bad nightmares, and he woke up a few times. 

Dipper stepped out of bed to get himself someting to drink. He squinted at the bright light of the fridge, and poured himself some orange juice. Dipper looked outside of the window into the darkness, and he slowly sipped his glass empty. He pondered about life for a bit, and returned to bed. Just when he closed his eyes, he heard his sister.

"Are you okay Dip?" She asked, and sat up.

"I'm fine. Sweet dreams." Dipper said, and went back to sleep. 

 

 

The next day was long. The moving truck was late, and the whole schedule was messed up. They finished moving all of the boxes 2 hours late, and they were too tired to hurry up. 

Even with the help of Mabel, Soos, Melody, Leo, Bill, Matt and Wendy, it took around 2 hours to simply place the boxes in the right rooms. Cleaning the house, however, didn't take up a lot of time. Turns out Bill is an amazing cleaner, and he was done with the bathroom way before the others were done with their part. Maybe it was because the bathroom is smaller than the rest of the house, maybe it's just because Bill was actually amazing. He made sure to let everyone know how much faster he was done before everyone moved on.

 

Mabel and Dipper were doing the bedroom together, Bill, Leo and Matt were doing the living room, Wendy was going around helping with the furniture here and there and Soos and Melody were doing the kitchen. 

 

His bedroom was quite big, bigger than Dipper remembered from visiting this house before deciding to buy it. The walls were a cool grey, and the floor was covered by carpet in a darker shade of grey. Dipper and Mabel had just finished making his bed, and moved on to filling his closet.

Mabel had walked out of the room to get a box that was placed in the wrong room, when Dipper felt his phone buzz in his pocket. 

 

_[1:24 PM] J: You left because of me didn't you._

Dippers hands were shaking, but managed to write something back. 

_[1:25 PM] D: You know that's not true..._

Dipper quickly silenced and locked his phone before Mabel walked into the room.

 

 

Mabel was a big help to Dipper. She knew exactly how to turn this room into a bedroom. She had sneaked a few childhood pictures in, placed more pillows on the bed than a human needed to sleep and had hidden some sweaters in Dipper's closet when he was helping elsewhere. 

Dipper often had to walk around to make sure everything was going according to plan and to make sure everything was in the right spot.

 

Leo and Matt were moving a couch, with Bill still on top of it like a king, when Dipper walked into the living room.

"I don't mean to be a big pain but... Maybe- Could you maybe move it a little to the right?" Dipper asked nervously. He had invisioned his living room, and he wanted it to be exactly like his imagination. 

Leo and Matt moved it a little to the right, and Dipper thanked them.

 

Dipper walked around the house some more. Wendy was busy assembling a cabinet for the bathroom, which she was doing perfectly without looking at the intructions.

Melody and Soos were cleaning the kitchen and filling the cabinets with plates, while singning a funny cleaning song, to which they both knew the words to. Dipper had never heard of it before, but the sight of the two made him want to learn the lyrics.

 

It took the crew the whole afternoon and most of the evening to finish it all.  They were exhausted. Around 9 PM they ordered some pizzas and sat down on Dipper's couch, even though it was way too tiny for all of them. Matt, Wendy and Leo just sat down in front of the couch. Mabel had claimed the big comforter long before they were finished, so she had no problem finding a place to sit down.

 

All of the furniture was in the right spot, most of his stuff was placed in the cabinets, closets, dressers and on top of the shelves. His office was nice and tidy, and his desktop was installed. There were one or two boxes filled with miscellaneous objects Dipper was going to have to look through by himself.

 

Dipper took a moment to appreciate all of the help while they were all stuffing their face with pizza. 

 

"I don't know how I would've done it without you guys. Thank you so much." Dipper said, and smiled at everyone. 

The replies were all similar. "No problem Dip, you would have done the same for us." "Anytime." "It's cool."

 

"You owe me one." Bill replied. He meant it, but everyone just laughed and brushed it off as a joke. 

 

The living room turned out really nice and cozy. Leo had placed some scented candles, so the place smelled like cinnamon apples. 

"There is one thing I learned today." Leo said, and he looked at Matt. "Matthew is the worst possible help for moving." 

Matt laughed and acted offended. "I'm the worst? Bill didn't do anything!" 

They all looked at Bill who was rolling his eyes. 

 

"I did lots of stuff." Bill said, and he placed the empty pizza box on top of the pile. 

 

This wasn't true. Bill did the least of them all, but he had looked productive everytime Dipper checked up on them.

 

"I learned that instructions are overrated." Wendy said, and she pointed at different shelves, cabinets and tables she had put together.

 

"I learned that Mabel's true hidden talent is interior design." Soos said, and he started clapping. The others soon followed because it felt nice to be excited about nothing. 

Soos was right though. Mabel had helped out a lot with decorating the place, and it looked really good. 

 

Dipper had to go to the toilet, so excused himself. 

 

He unlocked his phone on the way, and his heart dropped to his stomach when he read all of the messages he had missed.

 

_[1:26 PM]  J: Are you in Gravity Falls?_

_[1:30 PM] J: Answer me_

_[1:31 PM]  J: Dipper why are you doing this_

_[1:31 PM] Of course you are in Gravity Falls._

_[1:32 PM] I'm coming to the Mystery Shack this friday._

 

 

Dipper took a deep breath.

He didn't want to, but he had to deal with this. He knew his ex wasn't going to stop until Dipper told him everything. 

 

He was going to respond, but Mabel walked into the hallway. 

 

"Has _he_ been texting you?" She asked. Dipper knew there was no point in denying it. 

"How did you know?" 

 

Mabel scratched the back of her head. "You left your phone on your bed, and I saw some messages." 

Dipper opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Mabel started talking again.

"Dipper, you need to tell him he shouldn't come over." 

Dipper sighed deeply.

"I was going to tell him that already. Mabel, I don't appreciate you going through my texts. One of these days you're going to find something you wish you hadn't seen."

Dipper instantly regretted saying that, but Mabel nodded anyway. "I know. I'm sorry."

 

She returned to the living room without saying anything else.

 

_[9:59 PM] D: Jared, I don't think that would be a good idea._

 

 

Jared immediatly popped online.

 

_[9:59 PM] J: I want to._

_[10:00 PM] D: Please don't come..._

_[10:00 PM] J: Why not? We should meet up and talk, it's been 4 months since we've last seen each other._

_[10:01 PM] D: I told you why._

 

Jared went offline.

 

Dipper went to the bathroom, and rejoined the group soon after. They all seemed busy with their own conversation about how much Bill had actually done.  

"Leo and I did almost everything, what did  _you_ do?" Matthew said, and he crossed his arms.

 

"Bill was assembling the coffee table when I walked in." Dipper said, and he sat down next to Bill. Bill grinned, and nodded. 

"You guys just moved the couch a bunch of times." Bill said, and he leaned back. 

Leo rolled his eyes. 

"This is pointless. I think it's time for bed." He stood up, and helped Matt up too. 

"I guess I won't see you at the gift shop tomorrow." Leo said, and he picked up his coat and scarf from a chair. 

 

Dipper shrugged. "I don't know. I'm free most of the day, and I'm sure Mabel would want to visit." Mabel nodded at that. "I do."

 

"Good! See you tomorrow then! Bye guys." Matt wished them farewell too, and they left the house. Soos and Melody left soon after.

 

Dipper, Mabel, Wendy and Bill were left. It was silent for a while, until Dippers phone went off again.

 

"I swear to God if that is Jared again, I'm personally going back to Piedmont to beat him up." Mabel yelled. They were all silent for a while.

 

"Who is Jared?" Bill asked with a grin. 

"Only the most toxic person to ever be in Dipper's life." Wendy said with an eyeroll. Bill looked at Dipper who was busy typing out a reply.

"Are we talking about toxic 'friend' or 'boyfriend'?" Bill asked as his grin slowly died down.

"Boyfriend." Wendy sighed. " _ex-_ boyfriend." Mabel corrected her. 

"How long ago have you guys broken up?" Bill asked the second Dipper looked up. 

 

Dipper took a deep breath. "5 months ago." He said, and he looked down at his phone screen. 

"What is he saying?" Mabel asked. Dipper didn't answer until he was finished typing.

 

"He is convinced I moved here to get as far away from him as I possibly could, so he says he is going to come over next week." Dipper said. His voice was a little shaky and uncertain. 

 

Wendy sighed deeply, and grabbed Dipper's phone out of his hands. "This guy is ruining your first night in your own place."

"Wendy I have to deal with him right now, or else he is actually going to come over." Dipper protested. 

 

"Let him come." Bill then said, and he grabbed Dippers arm. "He won't like it." 

Dipper and Bill looked each other in the eyes for a while.

 

"Mabel is going to mess him up!" Mabel yelled, and she grabbed Dipper's phone. "I'm going to hide this flipping phone." 

 

They didn't see Mabel for a while.

 

"Lets just watch a movie or something." Dipper said, and he grabbed the remote. 

 

Wendy stood up. "I think it's time to go for me though. I'll see you on Wednesday." She said, and she awkwardly gave Dipper a hug because he was still sitting down. She gave Bill a friendly bump on the shoulder, and put on her coat.

"Bye Mabel!" She called one more time before she left.

 

 

The movie started, and they were enjoying it in silence until Mabel returned. 

 

"You're never going to find it." She said, and she fell back onto the comforter. 

"Mabel, I need my phone. I'm expecting important calls tomorrow." Dipper said. Mabel rolled her eyes. 

"Fine." She said, and she walked back into Dipper's bedroom to get it.

 

Dipper and Bill were left alone once again.

"Promise me you won't respond to Jared until tomorrow once you get your phone back." Bill said, and he looked at Dipper. Dipper didn't like the demanding tone of Bill's voice, but he knew it would be better if he did what Bill said.

"Okay, I promise."

 

It took Mabel a while to get the phone from the top of Dipper's closet, but after 10 minutes Mabel joined the two for the rest of the movie. 

 

Neither Bill or Dipper noticed how or when they scooted closer to each other. It was only near the end of the movie when Dipper noticed Bill's arm behind him. 

 

Bill went home after the movie ended.

 

Mabel and Dipper were brushing their teeth when Mabel poked Dipper. "Bill is nice." She said.

Dipper looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I guess." He said, and he washed his face. 

Mabel didn't say anymore, because she was convinced Dipper knew what she meant. 

 

He really didn't, though.

 

Dipper checked his phone before he went to sleep, and saw he had missed several calls and messages from Jared. He decided to keep his promise to Bill, and just turn off his phone. 

 

His dream was a little weird, but Dipper couldn't describe it as a nightmare. The force was there, but it wasn't there to defeat the monster. No, it was there to defeat Jared. It was maybe twice as satisfying as defeating the monster. 

 

Dipper wanted to find out who this force was, and he wanted to kiss them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again Emmaaaa ! Also
> 
> I was having a lot of fun with this chapter, but it all involves bad language and Im trying to stay clear of that (I really dont know why) 
> 
> But heres some alternate versions of the 'you owe me one' part:
> 
>    
> "You owe me one." Bill replied like a motherfucker
> 
> "You owe me one." Bill replied like someone who felt the need to feel special
> 
> "You owe me one." Bill replied and he meant it
> 
> "You owe me one." Bill replied because he is lowkey a dick
> 
> "You owe me one." Bill replied and winked at Dipper
> 
>  
> 
> "You owe me one." Bill replied.


	6. VI

Wendy was already sitting at a table inside the coffee shop she had insisted to go to. 

It was new, it was groovy, it was for cool people. Dipper felt terribly out of place, but Wendy had assured him he was cool enough. 

 

"Hey Dipper!" Wendy called, and she waved him over as if he hadn't seen her. He had. He just felt scared to go in. 

 

A little bell rang when Dipper opened the door, and he sat down in front of Wendy. 

"Hey." He said, as he removed his scarf and took off his jacket.

 

"So glad we can finally sit down together. There's a lot I want to talk about." Wendy said, and she looked at the menu.

Dipper smiled at her in agreement. "Yeah, me too."

 

They ordered some coffee when the waiter stood at their table, and started talking about nothing much. The music in the background was really nice and calm. Dipper didn't know any of the songs, but he enjoyed them.

 

 

"So, I'm looking for my own place right now too. My dad is nice, but he can't keep work-talk inside work hours." Wendy said, and she stirred through her cappucino. 

"Are you thinking... like... In town like Bill, or outside like Leo and me?" Dipper asked. 

"I guess someting like Bill."

 

It was silent for a short while, as they both took a few sips of their still hot coffees.

 

"Bill lives in a nice house, but I think anything like it will be too expensive for me." Wendy said, and she looked outside. It had started to rain. 

 

"His house  _is_ pretty big, yeah." Dipper said, and he looked outside too. A few people walked into the coffee shop soon after.

 

"What does he do for a living?" Dipper wondered out loud. 

 

"He hasn't told you that yet?" Wendy said with a shocked voice. Dipper looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"No. Why are you so surprised?"

Wendy grinned.

"You two seem very close." She said, and she took a sip.

Dipper was silent, he didn't know what to say to that.

 

"I mean, you two get along really well." She added, and her grin widened.

 

Dipper still wasn't sure what she meant.

"I've known him for about a month and a half. There's still a lot I don't know about him." Dipper said, and he squinted at her, because he wanted to understand.

 

Wendy didn't say anymore, Leo had warned her. 

"Okay, so Dipper doesn't realise we all ship him with Bill yet, so you can mention it a few times. But  _please_ make sure you don't say too much. It's too funny to ruin."

 

Dipper took out his phone, and frowned.

"Seriously, why is Jared so obsessed with you. It's been 5 months man, get over it." Wendy said. 

Dipper silenced his phone, and put it away. 

"He has always been like this." Dipper said, and he sighed deeply. 

 

Wendy was concerned. She knew Jared had a negative impact on him. He had told her much, but not everything. She had also never seen him talk about Jared in real life, so the facial expression Dipper was pulling right now was new.

 

"Seriously, why were you ever with him in the first place?" Wendy asked. She didn't know the answer, she had never asked. Or, Dipper never bothered to tell her.

 

Dipper had to think about that for a moment or two, it had been a long time since he had wanted to be with him. A really, really long time.

 

"He was a gentleman at first. He made me feel special, loved, strong. He showered me with compliments and valuable gifts. I think I was in love with him for a while. But at some point... He changed. He started to act really controlling. He manipulated me into ignoring my friends. All of them. It was all about him, he was the only one." Dipper said, and his voice started to get shaky.

 

Wendy frowned. 

"What made you stay with him for so long?" She asked. 

 

Dipper looked down, and sighed very deeply.

"He made me feel weak... Like I couldn't possibly live without him. He manipulated me into moving in with him, and I couldn't leave because my books weren't selling for the longest time. I had no money for a place of my own, and I felt couldn't move in with my parents again. I had already been with Jared for a year. He told me they would be ashamed of me if I gave up. And I had no friends anymore by that time. I had Mabel, but I couldn't tell her anything. I was so scared he was going to take her away from me too. He made me feel like a failure, and the only good thing about me was him." Dipper said, and tears started dwelling in his eyes.

He never talked about it with anyone. Mabel knew, but not the whole story. He didn't want to tell her either. It was one of the things they didn't really talk about, a topic they avoided. It came up once or twice, but Dipper never wanted to get into it. He felt ashamed about it, and he didn't want to let his sister down.

He knew he had to talk about it some time. So that's why he told Wendy. Now felt like the right time. He felt the need to make Wendy understand why Jared can't possibly come to Gravity Falls.

 

Wendy grabbed Dipper's trembling hands on top of the table. 

 

"What gave you the strength to leave?" She said. 

 

Dipper's hands started to shake more when he thought about the event.

 

"You remember when my 'Guide for the Mysteries' book got popular? I saved up quite a bit of money... And I bought the cabin. I couldn't tell anyone, I was too scared of the consquences." he started out, but he had to take a deep breath. It was a shaky breath, and it took him a while to find the rest of his words. Wendy waited for him, and squeezed his hands encouragingly.

 

"Mr. Snowball." He started out, and Wendy nodded.

Mr. Snowball was Dipper and Jared's cat. They had adopted him rigth after Dipper had moved in with Jared. 

"He... _knew_ that I cared more for Mr. Snowball than I cared for him. Mr. Snowball was the only light in that prison. Jared knew that." A few tears escaped his eyes, and he started sniffling.

There was a long pause. 

"Wendy..." His voice died down to a whisper. "He killed the cat Wendy." Dipper nervously rubbed his temples, and stared at the table.

"He filled a bathtub, and drowned him. He made me watch Wendy. I watched as the only good thing about my life drowned." 

 

Dipper broke down into crying, and he could barely breathe. 

 

Wendy was at a loss for words. She had expected a lot of bad things, but this beat everything.  Jared was insane, and Dipper had been trapped. She felt guilty, guilty she hadn't been able to drag him out.

 

She dragged him out now though, and she hugged him tightly in the rain. She held him, she squeezed him tightly against her chest, and she rubbed circles on his back until Dipper calmed down. 

 

They stood there for a while.

 

This is something Dipper needed. He had never told anyone. He had lived with this secret, with this trauma, for almost half a year without saying a word about it. 

 

They sat down inside again, and ordered some hot cocoa. They sat in silence. Wendy waited for Dipper to talk.

 

"I snuck out that night. I wrote him a letter, and ran to my parents. I didn't tell them what had happened, I just told them we had broken up, and I needed a place to live. They didn't ask, they took me in without hesitation." Dipper continued. His voice was raspy, and his nose was still runny, but he had calmed down.

 

"After that I rented a small appartment. It was small, and it was crappy, but it was all I could afford. Sure, I had the cabin, but I was still scared to tell anyone about it. I had physically escaped Jared, but he still had his grasp on me mentally." 

 

They both took a sip of their hot cocoa. 

 

"And now we're here." 

 

Wendy handed Dipper a napkin, and looked down.

 

"So you _did_ come here because of him?" Wendy asked, but Dipper shook his head halfway the sentence.

 

"I was going to move here way before I met Jared. He was the only thing keeping me in Piedmont." Dipper blew his nose. 

 

Wendy nodded. "I guess I understand a lot of things now." She sighed, and she rested her head on her arm.

 

Dipper looked up, his face displayed curiosity.

 

"Like the time you declined my invitation for a week-long sleepover. But I also understand why I don't know most of this. He made you shut me out." This time Dipper nodded.

 

"He hated you the most, because of the crush I had on you 10 years ago. But I guess that didn't help him succeed completely." Dipper said, and for the first time in the past 30 minutes he smiled. 

 

Dipper was stubborn, he had always been stubborn. He cared deeply for his best friend. Nobody,  _nobody,_ was going to take her away from him. Not even a manipulative psycho boyfriend. 

 

Wendy smiled, and a few tears started to dwell in her eyes. She was touched to the core. 

 

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." She said, and she wiped away a tear. "I should've gone there to helped you."

Dipper shook his head. "There was no way you could've known." He said. 

 

They talked for a few more hours. There was a  _lot_ of catching up to do, a lot of confessions to make. 

 

Wendy told Dipper about her secret crush, hoping Dipper was going to confess his, but once again Dipper was oblivious.

Wendy understood why now. Of course Dipper wasn't going to think about relationships and crushes after everything he went through.

It was still very funny to Wendy though. She kept her promise to Leo, but teased some more.

"Are you  _really_ sure?" Wendy laughed. 

Dipper pulled the squinty face again. 

"Yes, why?" He said. Wendy giggled, and shook her head.

"No reason Dip, no reason."

 

"I wonder if any of the other guys have crushes." Wendy said after she stopped giggling. "I think Matt might have one."

Dipper grinned. "Who?" He asked.

"Leo." "No way." "Yes way, have you seen the way they look at each other, very similar to-"

Wendy was very lucky the waiter interrupted them for another order, or she would have said 'you and Bill'. She would've ruined it.

"Matt has a girlfriend." Dipper said after the waiter left. Wendy shrugged.

 

"Those two have been together for 3 years, yes, but I feel like they're just together because they have been for so long. Isabelle is just Matt's beard." Wendy's tone was joking, but the words made a lot of sense.

"Some need more time to come out. It took me at least 2 years to admit it after I discovered it." Dipper said. 

 

Wendy had always been a great support, and he felt really comfortable talking about his sexual orientation around her. Mabel knew of Dipper's bisexuality, but there were a lot of details he left out. The details that would be weird if you told your sister about it, truly.

 

 

They sat there until the rain stopped, and they decided 4 hours was enough. 

 

Wendy drove him to his new home, where Mabel was eager to hear about the gossip. Dipper told her a lot, but not everything.

He showed new strenght, like he had closed off a chapter. Mabel had wanted to be the one helping with that, but she also understood why he didn't tell her. Yes, she was his twin sister. They had shared a womb at the same time. But, she was still a sister. They shared a special bond, but it was a different one from the one Dipper and Wendy had.

Mabel mentally thanked Wendy everyday for caring for her brother when she couldn't. 

 

They brushed their teeth together, and they wished each other goodnight.

 

Dipper checked his phone before he went to sleep, and he was pleasently suprised. 

 

_[10:45 PM] B: I saw you outside of the coffee shop today. Hope you're okay. Goodnight x B_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear everybody-who-waited-for-this-chapter,
> 
> My name is Emma, the Editor, and I am truly sorry for taking so damn long to proofread this chapter. Having said that: it's a fantastic chapter so definitely worth the wait.
> 
> K thanks love you.
> 
>  
> 
> ^She's the fucking greatest


	7. VII

Taking Mabel to the bus stop with a 38°C (100.4℉) fever wasn't one of Dipper's greatest ideas, but he didn't regret doing it. He was going to have to miss his sister until Christmas, which was about a month and a half away.

 

"See you Dippin' dots, take care of yourself." Mabel said, and she gave him a sad smile. They hugged each other one last time before Mabel stepped into the bus with her suitcase.

 

He was glad Wendy was there with him, because he was going to faint seconds after Mabeld drove off.

 

"Dipper! Are you okay?" Wendy exclaimed as she caught him in her arms.

Dipper squinted at her because his world was spinning. "Yeah yeah..." He said, and he closed his eyes for a second. "I'm good, just feeling a little cold."

She laid a hand on Dipper's forehead. "Actually, you're boiling."

 

Wendy shook her head, and called Leo who was at the Mystery Shack.

 

"Get the golf cart to the bus stop, Dipper needs a ride home." Dipper couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, because he had dozed off in Wendy's arms.

 

 

Dipper couldn't remember how he got in his bed, but he didn't care much for that right now. His world hadn't stopped spinning yet, and he was shivering heavily, but he felt a little more at ease.

 

He looked around the room, and he saw that the door to the living room was opened. He could see Leo at the dinner table, with a sketchbook and a big pencil case.

 

Dipper wanted to get up, but his nausea stopped him from moving.

 

He did alarm Leo by his little movement, however.

 

"Dipper! You're awake." He said, and he walked over. Dipper nodded.

"What time is it?" He managed to ask.

 

Leo pulled up his sleeve which revealed a watch. "Half past 7. You were knocked out for a while. Wendy has been here most of the time but she had a date. So now I'm here to watch you."

Dipper rolled his eyes and sighed. "You don't have to watch me, I'll be fine on my own." He tried so sit up, but Leo stopped him.

"It's no big deal. I'm just here to make sure you don't die." Leo said, and he laughed. "Want some tea?"

Dipper accepted his help, and nodded. "Yes, thank you."

 

Leo left the room, and a few minutes later he came back with a big mug of tea. Leo sat down on the other side of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as he helped Dipper up.

Dipper shrugged slightly. "Dizzy. Nauseous. Headache. Could be worse really..."

Leo sighed. "Of course."

 

They sat in silence as Dipper hovered over his tea. It smelled really nice, and the warmth was giving him comfort.

 

"Wendy didn't tell me who she was going on a date with, but I want to find out." Leo then said, and he looked at Dipper, like Dipper would know.

"Don't know either." He said. His voice was really raspy, and he had to cough. He managed to smile at Leo though.

 

Leo looked at Dipper with suspicion, but decided to let it slide. "I guess we'll find out some day."

 

They chatted, or much rather, Leo talked to Dipper, until Dipper had finished his tea.

 

"You should go to sleep again. I'll be here until 10, and Bill will be there for you tomorrow morning. If anything is wrong, you should just call me."

 

Dipper nodded, and smiled at Leo. "Thank you."

 

Dipper closed his eyes, and before long he had drifted off into a dream. It started out rather nasty, and he woke up a few times. It wasn't one of his usual nightmares, this was a real feverish dream where nothing made sense, and it sometimes faded into his actual bedroom. He would see the same guy he had dreamt about standing by his bed, but he had already woken up. It felt like his bed was being tilted, and he felt someone pulling at his legs, but nothing was there. It was all really dark, but he 'knew' about everything that was in his room. It was weird and freaky, and Dipper didn't know how to stop it.

 

It stopped at some point, however. It was probably around the beginning of the morning when the force returned to help him, and he could sleep for a little bit. When he woke up, Bill was sitting in his living room, with a book.

 

Dipper wanted to say hi, but he sneezed instead. Bill immediatly looked up and smiled. "You sneeze like a kitten." Bill said, and he closed the book.  
Dipper hadn't noticed it until he saw the back of the book, but Bill had been reading one of his, and he couldn't help but feel embarrased.

 

Bill looked over to Dipper, who was not only frowning at the comment, but was also blushing because of the book. He laughed and walked over.

 

"Leo made me go here, but I really don't know what the fuzz is about. It can't be that bad..." He sat down on the side of the bed, and looked at his watch.

Dipper nodded, and opened his mouth to say something, but he sneezed again, followed up by some bad coughs. "Right?" Dipper said, and he looked up to Bill.

 

Dipper looked absolutely terrible. He was sweaty, pale, his eyes and nose were red, and his hair was sticking to his forehead.

  
Bill was a little shocked to say the least, so he scooted a little further away from Dipper.

 

"How did you sleep? I noticed you were having bad dreams when I walked in." Bill said, and he handed Dipper a tissue.

"How did you know?" Dipper asked, and he blew his nose.

Bill looked at the sick kitten and frowned. "Dreams are my profession. I've seen people have bad dreams at my office. The rolling, the sweating, the occasional mumble."

 

Dipper tried to throw his tissue in the bin, but missed. "So you're like a therapist?" Dipper asked, and his eyes locked with Bill's.

"Yeah, I guess. I help people with nightmares in exchange for money. I wanted to offer my help before, but you were very clear about not wanting help before I could do so."

 

Bill saw the doubt in Dipper's eyes, but he let it be.

"Are you feeling any better?" Bill asked, still being a little freaked out. He was hesitant, but he laid a hand on Dipper's forehead.

This caught Dipper of guard, but he let it happen. Bill seemed to be a little more shocked than before by Dipper's temperature.

"A little." Dipper lied. He actually felt worse, but he didn't want to tell Bill.

 

Bill shook his head. "Be right back." He said, and he hurried off to the bathroom, where he picked up some ibuprofen.

 

"Human bodies." Bill mumbled, and he handed Dipper a glass of water. "Here. Take this."

 

Dipper hesitantly sat up and took the meds.

 

Bill seemed to be at a loss for things to do, which was new for Dipper. Bill had always done things well thought out.

 

"It's okay Bill, it's just a fever." Dipper said, and he tried to grin, but he coughed instead. Bill frowned with concern, but gave up, and sat down on the other side of the bed, next to Dipper.

 

It was silent for a while, but Dipper enjoyed it.

 

"Maybe you should go to sleep, I'll be here if you need anything." Bill said, and he picked up the book again. Dipper looked at Bill, at the book and at Bill again. Bill laughed. "It's good." He said, and he started reading.

Dipper rolled over to face away from Bill and dozed off.

 

Dipper had a nice and peaceful sleep. He felt comforted and relaxed. He didn't dream about anything.

He wasn't sure if this was because of Bill's presence, or because of the ibuprofen. Maybe it was a combination of the two. Either way, he knew he wanted it to stay like it.

 

 

Dipper woke up at the end of the evening, and Bill was still there, reading. He was almost done with the book.  
"I'm staying here, by the way. I'll just occupy the couch." Bill had said, without looking up. Dipper sat up, and rubbed his eyes.

"You really don't-" "I want to." Bill interrupted him, and he smiled at Dipper. "I already cancelled a few clients, so I'll be free until the day after tomorrow."

 

Dipper was touched by Bill's concern, but he felt bad. "I'm feeling much better, it's okay." Dipper said. He did feel a little better. He was even feeling a little hungry. He was going to tell Bill that, but his stomach did it for him.

"Leo brought us some soup, it'll be warm in a few minutes." And before Dipper could say anything else, Bill had walked off to the kitchen.

 

This level of concern Dipper hadn't seen since he initally left his parents home for college, and he was not used to it at all. It made him a little uncomfortable, if anything. The fact that Bill had canceled clients for him, made him feel guilty. He didn't know how much Bill made per appointment, but it couldn't be little. Besides, nobody had cared for him since he left his parents. He had been 'by himself' for years. He dealt with sickness before, so he really felt like all of this was unnecessary. It had only been a cold last time, though. Besides, Dipper didn't understand how important all this was for his recovery was. Lots of rest was needed.

 

Dipper got up with the help of Bill, and they walked over to the dining table, where they had a late dinner.

"Your book is really good." Bill said, and he grinned at Dipper. This made Dipper blush.

"Well.. I wouldn't say 'really good'. It's alright I guess..." Dipper stopped when he saw Bill's face. He was frowning at him.

"Thank you." Dipper then corrected himself. Bill smiled, and continued to eat.

 

Dipper still had to learn how to take a compliment. He had stopped believing he deserved them ever since he became a thing with Jared. It was one of those things he still had to overcome, but he was getting there, slowly.

 

"It must've been the rain." Bill then said. "Last Wednesday."

Dipper shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't had a fever since I was a kid. "

Bill gently scraped the bottom of his bowl with his spoon.

 

"Why were you outside in the rain anyway?" Bill asked, and he looked up to Dipper.

 

Dipper wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Bill. It was a really personal matter, and he felt like he had talked about it enough already. In some way he had, but there were still miles to go.

 

"I needed some fresh air." Dipper said, and he avoided Bill's gaze. He knew Bill was looking at him with piercing eyes.

"The coffee shop looked comfortable." Bill then said. He laid his hands in front of him.

"Is this about Jared?" Bill asked. Dipper didn't want to answer, but he looked over to nod slowly. "Yes. I talked about J- about him with Wendy."

 

Their eyes locked, and they didn't say anything for a while. Dipper's eyes told Bill enough. Bill felt weirdly guilty about being so intrusive, and he looked down. This was something Bill wasn't used to, but he felt the need to apologize. He didn't do so by saying 'I'm sorry'. Bill did it in his own way. By telling him something personal in return.

"I was in a weird relationship... A long time ago..." He started off, surprising Dipper.

"His name was Luciel. He was really nice, but most importantly, he was really, really handsome... I think some of it must've been artificial." He shook his head.

"Anyway, We became a thing soon after we met. I wasn't really looking for a serious relationship or anything. I was just at the very beginning of my career, and I guess I was a little lonely. It was a physical relationship, really. I didn't have any feelings for him, and I wasn't willing to get them either. I cut ties between us not too long after we got together. I guess Luciel had grown fond of me by then, because he wouldn't stop following me around."

Bill took a moment to sigh, and give Dipper an encouraging smile.

"It all faded eventually, haven't seen him in years."

 

Dipper wasn't sure what to say, but he appreciated this a lot. Learning about Bill's life and history was something Dipper enjoyed. He was still very mysterious, even though Dipper has been solving the mysteries of 'William Chain' for a little over a month.

 

"You should go to sleep." Bill then said, and he helped him to bed. He tucked him in, and sat down beside him again.

 

"Don't you need sleep?" Dipper asked. Bill shook his head. "Later on. Don't worry." Bill said, and he brushed his hand through Dipper's hair. "Sleep well, Kitten."

 

He had a very similar sleep to the one he had in the afternoon, and he concluded it was definitly Bill's presence that made him so at ease. He had yet to find out why Bill, and how Bill did it. Bill's aura was very calming in a weird way. So very different from the first time they met. He seemed so intimidating back then. And it felt so long ago too.

 

His presence was so comforting, he immediately missed it when Bill left his bedroom to open the door for Leo. He was only half asleep, but he faintly could hear them talk.

 

"He's been asleep for a few hours." Bill said, and they both looked over. "He has eaten as well."

Leo's laugh could be heard. "You're almost more concerned than I am, Yellow."

"Of course I am! Fever is scary. I haven't seen anyone with it in at least a thousand years."

"Yes, alright, I'm off to home again. Glad things are going well between you two."

Bill did a fake laugh, and shoo'd him off. "You guys are funny. Please stop."

Leo laughed, and they said their farewells.

 

Dipper wasn't sure if he had heard everything correctly, or whether he was dreaming, but he didn't care. Because as soon Bill took place beside him again, with a new book, he felt the comforting aura and he fell asleep.

  
The next two days were similar. Dipper spent most of it sleeping, and Bill was kind of just there. Reading, taking care of him. Leo and Wendy had offered to come, but Bill wanted to help, and Dipper enjoyed his company a lot.

It was very domestic and relaxed. Dipper felt really good on the 4th day of Bill being there, so it was time for Bill to go home.

Dipper missed his presence, he had grown attached to it. A little addicted maybe. He wanted that comfortable easy sleep.

The force was still there though, and it was probably not going to leave anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Emma was really quick, how about a round of applause :) 
> 
> btw follow my instagram, it's @SemmyJart (There is some fan art coming up, I'm also working on a floor plan for Dipper's cabin.)


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be in a different pov to spice it up!

"Okay, you can open your eyes. You shouldn't be having weird dreams like that for a while, contact me once they return." Bill said, and he shook the hand of the man in front of him. "Have a nice day Mr. Bell." 

 

Bill sat down on his comforter, and sighed deeply. He had been doing this job for too long, and he longed for something else. Or much rather, he longed for his old 'job'. He had considered it as a hobby, but the paycheck had always been convenient. 

He missed the time where he didn't solve nightmares, he  _gave_ people nightmares. He enjoyed messing with their heads. 

Sometimes he still did that. Sometimes he gave people weird nightmares to give himself a little raise, but it's not as much fun when he has to solve them after. 

 

He missed being a triangle, really. As much fun being a human is, being a triangle was a lot _more_ fun. 

 

Besides, becoming more human every day was scary. He was used to being a demon. He had been for thousands of years. He had lost every human bit about him, and it was nice. No emotions that could possibly block his fun. Except for anger, but being angry was easier to deal with than being sad, he had found out. Anger was solved by giving a bunch of people nightmares, sadness he had to wait out.

 

Getting himself a human body was part of a plan he is not going to carry out, so he wondered why he was still around. Was he there for Leo? Leo knew, and Leo had always known Bill was going to leave. The earlier he left, the better. They knew it was going to be hard, but nothing Bill hadn't dealt with before. Many times he's had human bodies in different dimensions.  

Was he still there out of  _guilt_? An emotion he hadn't felt ever since he became a demon. He hated it, he absolutely despised that feeling. Was it going to stop if he returned to his triangle form? 

Waiting for Dipper was a stupid plan. He _regretted_ it. 

 

Bill left the office with a frown. He's had this body for 9 years, but he still struggled with having thoughts running on their own. He hated not having control over it completely. 

 

It was rainy, so he pulled up his umbrella.

 

His home was very close to his office, so he usually walked. On particularly lazy days he might go by bicycle. 

 

He immediately sat down on his couch once he was inside, and took out his phone. He was doubting whether he should invite Leo and Dipper over for a drink.

 

Should he invite Dipper? Hadn't he seen him enough the past week? Maybe they needed a little distance.

Maybe he shouldn't invite Leo either. Maybe he needed a night alone. 

 

No, that's boring. He texted Leo, and soon after, the man stood at his front door.

 

"Bill! I have crazy news." Leo said, and he stepped inside. Bill took Leo's jacket and hung it up for him. 

"What?" 

"Matt and Isabelle broke up." Leo said, and they sat down on the couch. 

Bill raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Leo shrugged. "I'm not sure, Matt was really vague about it. I guess we won't be seeing Isabelle again." 

 

Bill didn't mind that. He disliked Isabelle a lot, and he always thought Matt deserved better.

 

"I was planning on taking Matt out for dinner to find out what happened, but he wanted to be alone for a while. That's okay too, I guess." Leo said, and he turned on the tv. 

Bill offered Leo something to drink, and walked over to the kitchen. "Human bodies and their romantic feelings." Bill mumbled loud enough for Leo to hear.

"Awh come on, don't pull this 'being a triangle means not having any feelings' stuff on me. I know you had to feel  _something_ in order to decide to get yourself a human body." Leo laughed.

Bill was shaking his head when he walked in again. "Of course I had feelings. But they were limited and beneficial only." He handed Leo his drink, and he booted up his Playstation. 

 

"What do you mean beneficial?" Leo asked, and he picked up a controller. 

 

"Nothing that would possibly hold me back, only give me boosts. I understand why humans have romantic feelings, but in my rational opinion they've always been a downfall." Bill answered, and he picked up a controller as well. They focussed on playing their game for a few minutes before Leo responded. 

 

"Any experience?" Leo said, and Bill sighed deeply when he saw the smug grin on Leo's face. 

"I already asked you to stop that _glasses_. No, I don't have any romantic feelings for Dipper." Bill hissed.

Leo laughed but shook his head. "I didn't even mean it that way, Dorito chip. I meant whether you've had experienced a downfall because of romantic feelings."

 

Bill rolled his eyes. "Once or twice. In different dimensions, thousands of years ago."

"And you're still bitter about it." Leo said and he paused for a second.

"Makes me wonder whether you've ever had succesful romances. In the years that we've been friends you've never told me that. You barely talk about your demon side." Leo said, and he turned to Bill.

 

This was true. He barely told Leo anything about it. He actively avoided the topic.

He didn't want anyone else to find out, so the less information Bill gave to Leo, the better. 

The only things Leo knew were that he was in fact, a demon. He used to be an evil yellow triangle. He was a human in a different universe before that. And that he got his body to get revenge on the Pines family. That's all. 

Maybe it was time to tell him a little more, he might leave soon anyway.

 

"Romantic feelings is what made me a demon in the first place." Bill said softly. Leo perked up in excitement.

"You never told me what turned you into a demon." Leo said, trying to hide his eagerness. 

 

"If you really want to know... I might mess with your memory if you use this info against me." Bill was dead serious. He didn't like going into Leo's mind, but he'll do what he has to do to protect himself.

Leo nodded, and he paused the game.

 

"Like you know, I come from a different universe, dimension, whatever you want to call it. An alternate reality." Bill said, and he placed his controller on the table.

"I was head over heels for this boy, absolutely smitten. I was willing to go to hell and back for him. Living in the medieval ages this was very dangerous already, but what can I say. I don't like rules." Bill paused for a second to find the right words.

"One day... He got a terrible fever. There was no saving him. I sneaked into the library, and I found some books on demons, about their powers, and how I could summon them. So I did, I was going to save him no matter what. This demon... He was a brick. He was also a prick. He tricked me into giving up my human body so he could heal T- so he could get rid of the fever. However... He never gave me my old body back. I was stuck in the mindscape, and I couldn't go back. He never healed him too, the mucus, he just ran off and killed himself."

 

Leo was silent for a while, but he still had too many questions to change the subject already.

 

"What did you do then?" Leo asked. 

 

Bill sighed. "I found some other demons that helped me become the yellow triangle I am. I could've gone back to my own dimension, but the boy had already died, so there was no point in going back there."

 

 Leo had to process this information for a while. He understood Bill a little better now, and he appreciated his honesty.

 

"Are you ever going to tell Dipper?" Leo asked, and he looked Bill in the eyes. 

Leo didn't mention what he was actually talking about, because he knew Bill understood what he meant. 

 

"I don't see a reason to." Bill said, and he unpaused the game. 

They played for a little while again, but it bothered Leo.

 

"I think it will help Dipper out if you did." 

 Bill didn't respond to that, so Leo paused the game.

"He is still suffering from everything you did." 

Still no response.

"It might help with your guilt too."

 

Bill pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I'm not experiencing any guilt. I don't  _do_ guilt. I'm a powerful demon with more knowledge than anyone in this universe and the next, why would I feel guilty about ruining some random kid's life." Bill snapped, and he stared at Leo.

 

 Leo sighed very deeply, and he pushed up his glasses.

"I know you don't think Dipper is 'some random kid'. I saw you last week when he was sick. Why are you saying these things?"

 

There he felt it again.  _guilt._ Bill was probably never going to get used to it. 

 

"I don't know." Bill said, and he scratched the itch on his nose. 

Leo looked at Bill a little longer.

"How much do you care for him?" "Leo-" "I don't mean it in a romantic way.  I mean- Are you afraid you care too much?" 

The silence told Leo yes. 

 

Bill unpaused the game, and they played it in silence for a while. 

 

Leo knew Bill was having problems with his human body. He didn't understand why he had them  _now._ He's had this body for 9 years. Was he becoming more human the longer he stayed in this body? Had he been a demon for so long that he forgot what most emotions felt like? 

 

"Just so you know, I'm not going to tell Dipper." Bill said after a while. "I don't think it will help. Besides, he will hate me afterwards."

Leo inspected Bill's face.

"Dipper needs to know. He might even forgive you." Leo said, but Bill scoffed. 

"Don't think so, you stupid mortal. There's things that can't be forgiven, and the stuff I did happens to be one of those things."

"How come I am friends with you, then." Leo said, and he paused the game once again. He crossed his arms.

"It's not like I did those things to you. Besides, you didn't know them personally. You started working there way later."

 

Leo shrugged. That much was true. "So, you actually care about what Dipper thinks of you?" Leo then said, to turn the conversation the other way again. Leo knew he probably shouldn't ask Bill this, he knew the demon didn't like it. Leo didn't care though, Leo will say anything to Bill.

 

"Yes, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I like him as a friend. A lot. Now would you  _please_ stop suggesting that I might be in love with him, because that is ludicrous." Bill folded his arms over each other, and he let out what must've been the millionth sigh he let out this evening. 

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying the words, you are interpreting. Dipper doesn't get so upset about it when I say the same stuff to him." Leo said. 

"That's because he is still haunted by a crazy ex-boyfriend, he isn't even thinking about romance in the slightest way." Bill immediately responded. "And he's pretty naive for someone who experienced all of the stuff he experienced." He added in a whisper.

They laughed for a second, and agreed in silence.

 

The rest of the night was more relaxed. They didn't touch on any more subjects related to Bill's demon side, or Dipper, or anything that might get Bill fired up really. Leo knew when enough was enough.

They had dinner together, and even though Bill offered him to stay, Leo left shortly after the sun had completely set.

 

Bill sat down on his couch to watch some TV, but started to reflect on the conversation he had with Leo. 

 

Yes, he admitted he cared for Dipper. Bill wasn't sure on what level, but he assumed it would be in a friendly way. He knew this, he hadn't admitted it to himself yet, but he did. 

Maybe it  _was_ the guilt, maybe it was because Dipper is actually a very likable character, and he just got along with him very well. 

 

Bill also decided to check up on Dipper before he went to bed. He assumed Dipper would be asleep around 11, he had been for the past few weeks. 

 

Within the blink of an eye Bill found himself in a nightmare with the same monsters as the last time he visited. A big inky monster, and a smaller one with the appearance of a simple man, straight dark brown hair, thin lips and a heavy brow bone. He was a normal looking man, kind of good looking too, but his eyes were just as black as the gigantic monster next to him. 

He looked around, and he found Dipper in a corner, sitting there, his arms wrapped around his legs, hiding his face. 

Bill reminded himself not to reveal who he was, so he just turned himself in an energy. Nothing you can see, something you can only feel. 

 

"Stand up." He whispered with a deeper voice, and made Dipper look up. Dipper seemed suprised and jumped up immediately. 

"You're here." He said, and he wiped away a tear.

Bill didn't respond to him, but just stood behind Dipper, and he moved his arms forward. "Say it after me, keep repeating every second." He whispered.

 

"Gaïaa falkada munïata."

Dipper did what he said, with a strong accent he was going to have to work on. It helped, but it made the inky monster shrink.

Bill wasn't sure what to do about the man through Dipper, so he simply took care of it by erasing him. He wiped him away, and his figure blew away like dust in the wind.

 

By the time Bill was done, the monster had disapeared, and Dipper stood there with a sad smile on his face.

Bill was going to leave, but Dipper called.

 

"Wait! What are you?" He asked, but still stayed silent. 

"Please, I want to know-" "I don't think you do."

 

And with that, Bill left. 

 

 

There was a way for Bill to get rid of Dipper's nightmares forever, but it involved having to investigate where they came from, which meant he'd have to spend a lot of time with Dipper, and he'd have to reveal who he was in his dreams. Bill had considered it, but eventually he decided it would be easier to just go in from time to time and fight some monsters. Which was kind of fun, in a weird way. 

 

Getting super close with the man whose life you have changed for the worse, isn't exactly the best idea.

He wasn't going to go out of his way to stop them from being friends, but he was going to try to make sure Dipper didn't get the wrong idea. 

This he was still bad at, and he was getting worse at it.  

His human emotions started to control him more and more and more, and Bill didn't notice all of it. So he couldn't stop all of it. 

 

It was just happening between them, and they let it happen. Not on purpose, but they did it nonetheless. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Thx Emma


	9. IX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I wanted to say sorry that this took so long, hope you all enjoy the chapter anyway!

Did Dipper  _need_ new Christmas decorations? Yes, I suppose so.

 

Soos just really wanted a reason to use his new seven seated family car. 

Besides, they had all picked a name for secret Santa, so they all had to buy gifts for eachother.

 

 

So they all went to the mall together.

Soos driving, Melody next to him,

Wendy, Matt and Leo in the middle,

and Dipper and Bill together in the back.

The car was nice and big, but Dipper and Bill were still squished together. Except for some grins he caught, Dipper wasn't noticing how the others were reacting to this. 

 

Very giggly. They were all  _very_ giggly.

 

Bill wasn't happy about it, but he was not going to let Dipper notice it.

 

Dipper was glad he had picked Leo's name, because he wasn't sure what he would buy for the others. He knew there was supposed to be an art supply store at the mall, so he was going to drag Wendy in there when nobody was looking.

 

Wendy turned to Dipper, with a uncharacteristically shy smile. 

"Dipdop, I have a question." 

"Sure, go ahead." Said Dipper.

"Could, maybe, Elliot come with me to your Christmas dinner?" 

 

All turned to Wendy.

"Who's Elliot?" Asked Dipper. 

Wendy was blushing, which was new to most people in the car.

"Elliot's a good friend, very chill." Wendy explained.

"They are." Bill added to the conversation.

"They?" asked Dipper.

"Yes, they. Non-binary." Wendy said.

 

Dipper glanced at Bill and Leo, who were both nodding.

"Sure." Dipper said, and Wendy smiled widely. "Awesome."

 

They arrived at the mall, and immediatly went into the first store that had cheesy Christmas decorations stalled. 

Some of the decorations the group put in Dipper's basket were just staples. Like lights, a christmas wreath, ornaments, candles etc.

 

Some were cute.

 

Wendy walked over with a little turtle wearing a big red bow and a candycane hidden in his shell.

"Awh, I love this." Dipper said, and Soos' head appeared from around the corner.

"Like you love a certain someone?" He said, and he and Wendy giggled. 

Dipper just squinted at them and slowly nodded.

 

Some were... a bit wacky.

Like the dancing snowman, a very fat Italian Santa or the five feet tall inflatable Scooby-Doo with a Christmas hat that Matt had found.

 

 

 

Dipper wasn't sure if he wanted all of those things, but Matt insisted he could not let Scooby-Doo just sit here.

When Soos walked over with a naked nutcracker with blonde hair, Dipper drew the line. 

"Why does this exist. Look how detailed that- Soos, why." 

Everyone was giggling. 

"It looked a bit like Bill, so I thought you would like it." Soos said, and they all burst out in laughter.

Dipper looked at Bill, who was facepalming himself so hard, Dipper thought his nose was going to break.

 

"Why would I want a naked Bill nutcracker in-" 

 

Suddenly Dipper understood, and Soos knew he had made a fatal mistake. 

 

"So that's what this is about, isn't it?" Dipper said, and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I can't believe I'm this stupid." He mumbled.

 

The others looked at Soos with a frown. "You ruined it." Leo whispered, and he slapped him on the shoulder. 

 

It was pretty quiet during the check-out. 

Nobody was sure what to say next.

 

Dipper was the one breaking the silence once they left the store.

"Let's split up, and meet at the Starbucks in 2 hours." 

They all agreed, and formed little groups. 

Soos and Melody left first, while Dipper was casually trying to kick Leo from his group. Eventually they succeeded, but Dipper had the idea that he had hurt Leo's feelings.

 

Matt quietly joined the group and frowned. "You guys forgot me." 

Dipper felt bad for a few seconds, but also remembered he hadn't been the best at noticing missing members anyway. He once forgot to take a friend home with him from school, and only noticed when his mother asked where he had left him. 

Matt was taken in Bill's and Leo's little group and walked off to buy the Christmas gifts. 

 

When Dipper and Wendy walked into the art supply store, they realised that a $20 max was going to be hard.

"Why are art supplies so expensive?" Dipper whispered, looking at sets of paint. 

"You tell me, it's not like artists are rich."

"Maybe they're not rich because they have to spend all of their money on art supplies."

 

Dipper found a set of markers that was 21 dollars, but he guessed 1 dollar wouldn't be the biggest issue. 

 

"Do you think Leo will like it?" "Like the way you like Bill?" Wendy responded with a grin.

Dipper sighed. "How did I not notice." Dipper said, and he sighed more.

"Because you love him." Wendy said, still finding it funny. 

Dipper shook his head. 

"I do not. And even if I did, I wouldn't want to be with him." Dipper said, and he scanned through all of the different sets.

 

Wendy's smiled died down a bit, and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" She asked, and helped him find the right colour set.

"Think about it, we're not very compatible." Dipper said, and he looked at Wendy. "He goes to parties, I stay at home. He drinks alcohol, I drink tea. He loves cats... And I... well... I'd prefer to not have any pets for a while." Dipper stopped there.

 

They stood there scanning the different sets in silence, until Wendy broke it.

"You get along great though." Wendy said. 

Dipper shrugged.

"I guess we do." He smiled a little, but tried his best to hide it from Wendy.

Wendy hesitated, but added some more to the conversation.

"I'll be very honest. I did not think you two would get along at all. In a lot of ways you guys are polar opposites. But... I think Bill really likes you anyway. If not in a romantic way, it's in a platonic way. Seriously, he does not bother with people he dislikes even in the slightest ways."

 

Dipper chose a set with earthy colours, and they went to the cashier. 

"Trust me Wendy, if I liked Bill that way, you would've known and I would've needed some help. Bill is _way_ out of my league." Dipper said, a little more relaxed. Wendy acknowledging that they're probably not in love made the topic less tense for him.

"You think he's out of your league? Dipper, you're the hardest person to reach. If anything, Bill would need my help." Dipper laughed at that, because it's true. Dipper was very shy in a lot of ways, and committing has always been a little scary. Not because he wanted to sleep around, but because it meant he had to face expectations he was probably not going to fulfill. At least, that's what he thought.

"Good thing were not trying to get together." Dipper said. 

They wished the girl behind the cash register a nice day, and left the store to find Wendy a gift for Matt. 

 

As they were trying to pick a store to go in Dipper realised something. 

"You know, Matt and I get along very well, but I don't know a lot about him. What does he even like?" He asked.

Wendy grinned. "Leo." 

Dipper laughed, but sighed. "Seriously though." 

Wendy nodded. "He seriously likes Leo. He and Isabelle broke up." 

Dipper stopped walking. "You're kidding." Wendy shook her head. "Nope.

"Huh. How about that." And he started walking again.

 

"Anyway, he is really into fashion. We should try to find some gems at the thriftstore. It'll be fun." 

Dipper agreed, and they went off to the thriftstore. 

It was hard to find those hidden gems, but eventually they found some nice vintage/urban looking jackets, for a total of 20 dollars.  
Besides that Wendy told some stuff about Matt that shone new light on him in Dipper's eyes. For example that he works in the hospital as a nurse. Not exactly what he expected from Matt, but very pleasently surprising.

Wendy and Dipper had taken a little too long at the stores, and arrived 15 minutes late to the Starbucks, where everyone was already seated with some coffee. They apologized, and walked up to the counter to order some for themselves.

"I hope they'll like our gifts." Wendy said, and she looked at Dipper. Dipper nodded. "Me too."

They joined the rest of the group once they got their orders. There were seats empty next to Bill and Soos.

 

Naturally, Wendy took the seat next to Soos. 

 

"Did everyone find a gift?" Dipper asked, and he sat down next to Bill. 

Most of the responses were a simple 'yeah' or 'Uhu' , but Bill grinned and gave a more elaborate answer.

"My gift is amazing. It'll blow their mind." 

The group laughed, but Bill meant it. He was genuinely proud of his find. 

Bill was looking at Dipper. Dipper didn't notice because he was looking the other way, but Bill kept looking anyway. 

 

After a few seconds of laughing a girl walked over to pick up the empty plates and mugs. The girl was very beautiful; dark brown hair, bright blue eyes, hourglass figure and a cheeky smile directed at Bill. 

She casually leaned over next to Bill to get the plates on the other side of the table, exposing quite the cleavage. 

Bill looked at _them_ for a split second, but only as a natural reaction because something was moving next to him. He wasn't really moved though, because he instantly directed his gaze to Dipper again. 

The girl seemed offended, but politely left the group alone again. 

 

Nobody really seemed to notice this except for Leo, and he grinned. He wasn't going to mention it though, Soos had already ruined it.

 

The group talked until Dipper had finally finished his coffee, and then prepared to leave the mall.

However, Bill was stopped by the girl again. Nobody noticed but Dipper after he felt there was someone missing. He turned around and saw how the girl was handing over a little note. Bill smiled at her, and sprinted towards the moving group. 

Dipper smiled at him with a raised eyebrow, and asked what the note was.

 

"Oh this?" Bill held up the note. "I guess it's her number." He said, and he put it in his pocket.

Dipper's smile died down a little bit, but not enough for either of them to notice.

 

 

They all got in the car and sat in the same _exact_ position as on their way to the mall. 

Soos driving, Melody next to him,

Wendy, Matt and Leo in the middle,

and Dipper and Bill together in the back.

But this time they were even more squished together because of all the bags the group had stuffed next to Bill. 

They had done it on purpose, they knew, but had closed all of the doors and were seated before Bill or Dipper could protest. 

 

"You guys are the worst." Dipper said, as Soos started the engine. He tried to mean it, but to be quite frank, he didn't really mind it as much as he was trying to make clear. 

"Love you too." Wendy said, and they all laughed.

 

After that each row seemed to have their own coversation. 

Dipper didn't pick anything up from the other conversations, he was enjoying his with Bill too much. 

Bill had asked about his current writing project, and Dipper felt very passionate about it, so he wasn't shy to talk about it.

Bill enjoyed listening to Dipper too, more than he wanted to.

 

Soos dropped them all off at their own houses, except for Leo, he was going to stay over at Bill's house. 

 

Bill and Leo settled on the couch with a beer each, clinked them together and started talking about random unimportant stuff while the tv was playing in the background. 

After a little while Bill reached to his pocket to grab his phone, but took out the little note instead. He looked at it for a short while, because he had already forgotten what it was. When Leo asked what it was, Bill remembered.

"It's the waitresses' number, I think." 

Leo perked up. 

"Are you gonna call her?" He asked. 

Bill shook his head. "Nah."

"What? Why not? She had quite the..." And he put his hands in front his chest to pretend he had boobs. "I thought you we're into those."

Bill shrugged. 

"I am. Well... I was. I don't know... I feel different about women now. I'm not really into them anymore. It's almost like I'm back to my old sexual orientation from before I became a demon."

"How did that happen?" Leo was genuinly confused since Bill had obviously been very bisexual throughout their whole friendship.

"Might've been a side-effect from being a demon, I think it's wearing off." Bill said casually. 

Leo smiled gently. "How odd."

Bill nodded. "It kinda is, ain't it. Other demons warned me about it, but I didn't really care. If anything it was exciting to me to try new things. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I'm not really feeling it anymore."

"Oh well." "Oh well."

 

Then their conversation died down slowly but steadily, until Leo decided it was time for bed. Bill stayed downstairs to watch some more TV. 

 

That night Bill looked at the note again, and tore it in half before throwing it in the bin and going to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, why Semmy?? WHY DID YOU TAKE ABOUT 3 MONTHS FOR THIS?? First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR YAY  
> second of all, Im a piece of shit and I felt very uninspired. Third of all, time?? Had none. Will have very little time for most of January too.  
> At least I have big plans for chapter 10!! yay!! 
> 
> Thanks for reading though :)


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ??? She updated??? SURPRISE

The 25th of December was almost there, and for the first time in 8 years Dipper wasn't dreading it. If anything, he was excited. He was excited to be surrounded by his friends, enjoying good food and he was excited to exchange the gifts. Dipper had invited everyone to his cabin. He was still figuring out how everyone was going to fit in there, but he knew it should be fine. The meal he had in mind wasn't too intricate, and if they really didn't fit at the table, they could move to the living room. Which was very nicely decorated already, but he still needed to get the inflatable scooby-doo statue up. It took him some time to find a place where it could fit, but he guessed putting it in front of the door to his bedroom would do for now.

But before anything, Dipper had to do the most important thing of all: Pick up Mabel from the bus stop. This time she was staying for two weeks, instead of one. Dipper had missed her a lot, because months seemed to feel like years nowadays. He totally blames Bill for that, though. Their friendship had only existed for two months, but it felt like he had known him for far longer. They had already established an odd kind of trust between them that would usually take longer to devellop.

 

Last time Dipper picked Mabel up only Soos and Melody had accompanied him. This time the whole gang came along. They were all excited to see Mabel again, even though she hasn't been around that much. Mabel is great at leaving good first impressions, and Dipper does talk about her quite a bit. Nearly all of his adventures had been with her, even before they visited Gravity Falls. Of course, Wendy was very fond of Mabel, so she had a story or twenty to tell as well.

 

"Guys guys guys, the bus!" Matt yelled, pointing at the bus that drove their way. Dipper pulled out the banner that said 'Welcome back Mabel!' and handed one side to Soos, who held it way higher up than Dipper could. 

Even though Mabel had to turn her head a little to read what the banner said, she had appreciated it a lot. 

After hugging it out and some screaming, they all made their way back to the Mystery Shack, where Melody promised some hot cocoa to battle the cold weather.

 

"So, Mabel, how does it feel to be back in town?" Wendy asked, after they were all seated on and besides the couch. Mabel grinned. "Good, _very_ good." She had an expression on her face nobody could read but Dipper. She looked at Soos, then she looked at Melody, and after that she sipped from her big glittery mug. 

"Mabel, what are you planning?" Dipper said right of the bat. "I know that face." 

Mabel immediatly turned her head away and puffed. "Absolutely nothing, little brother. In fact, I think I'm a little offended that you would think-" "Mabe-" "That you would even accuse me of anything."

It was quiet for a moment.

"I'm not planning something. I just know of something that you all don't." She gave in, and she grinned widely. "I'm not allowed to tell yet, though." 

 

"Alright..." said Dipper, and he placed his empty mug on the coffee table. He opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Bill had stood up.

 

"Unfortunatly, I have to leave. A frequent client of mine insisted he had to see me before Christmas." He explained, while placing a hand on Dipper's shoulder. Dipper looked at him with a slight frown and they didn't break eye contact for a little while. 

"I will see you the day after tomorrow." He said, and he winked. Dipper believed it to be directed at everyone, but it was quite obvious to the others that it was definitely meant for him alone.

 

After Bill had left, the remainder of the group hung out and chatted for an hour or two, before it was time for the others to head home as well. Soos was kind enough to drop the twins off at Dipper's cabin.

The day after was very relaxed, with a late morning and focussing on calmly preparing for the dinner that was ahead of them.

"Can you pass me the sugar?" Dipper asked, while preparing cookie dough. Mabel slowly passed him the sugar and smirked. Dipper reviewed this for a moment and then rolled his eyes. "What now?" 

"Wendy told me Bill took good care of you when you had a fever." She said, while trying to casually lean on the counter. "Very sweet of him." 

Dipper sighed. "So did she and so did Leo. It was very sweet of him but he did nothing more than they did, so it was nothing special." 

"That's not what Leo told me. Leo said he was there for days." "It was only four days total-" "Yes, four days, Dipdop, how long were Leo and Wendy there? Considerably less right?" 

Mabel felt sure she had convinced Dipper, but she was let down by the frown Dipper showed.

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation again. How hard must I try to tell everyone that Bill and I are just friends. Just like we are with all the others." Dipper said, and he walked out of the kitchen, abandoning the cookies.

Mabel quickly followed. "Dipper, I'm sorry, but I don't think you understand us at all. Don't you realise we have your best interest at heart? Why would we ever try to pair you with someone who doesn't show any interest?" Mabel laid a hand on Dipper's shoulder. They stared each other down.

"Don't you think it's time to find someone who will treat you right?" She said, after considering her words for a few seconds. 

Dipper didn't reply. He couldn't reply to that.

Of course he knew they had his best interest at heart, and of course he knew they would not pair him up with someone completely random. But he hadn't considered it time yet. Not yet. 

 

"I believe the others have stopped ever since Soos walked up to me with that ridiculous thing." Dipper was talking about the nutcracker, sitting in his bedroom. Matt had snuck it in the previous day. Dipper hadn't noticed until later that evening when he was getting into bed, looked at his bedside table and saw nutcracker Bill flashing him. "I would prefer it if you did the same." 

 

Mabel nodded, and they resumed their cookies. Their conversation returned to its usual lighthearted tone soon after; Mabel had received the message.

 

Christmas day had finally arrived, and Dipper felt truly happy sharing the evening with the people he loved most. As Dipper predicted, it was a bit cramped, but they managed to fit everyone around the table. They were all talking loudly, laughing and generally having a great time. 

 

But before they had dinner, Dipper felt there was something he had to do. He stood up and cleared his throat, to which nearly everyone replied with complete silence. When Matt noticed everyone had stopped talking, he shut his mouth as well. 

 

"I didn't mean to interrupt our merrymaking, but I'm starting to get really hungry and I'm sure you do as well." Everyone nodded.

"I feel like it is important to have a moment of silence." Dipper then explained. "There has been an absence of two people for eight years now, and I don't ever want it to be forgotten." 

Matt looked at Leo, looking for an explaination. Leo then whispered in his ear: "His great-uncles were killed in a tragic accident 8 years ago." Matt swallowed, and turned his nose to his plate like the rest had already done.

 

After a minute or so, Dipper stood up again, and gave everyone a look of appreciation. 

"Now onto some good food."

 

The food was really good. Within minutes the atmosphere had returned to its previous state, where everyone was talking and laughing. 

 

Bill turned to Dipper, who was sitting next to him. "It's really nice that you and Mabel prepared all of this for us, while also offering your house for the night." Bill said, with a smile. Dipper had to look at his pearly-whites from up close, since the men were almost as cramped together as they were in the car when they went gift shopping together.

"Preparing the food was nothing... I just wonder whether it was the right decision to make you all come here. It sure is cozy..." Dipper said, and he chuckled softly.

Bill shrugged. "I kind of like it." 

He regretted saying this when Bill realised that everyone in the room here could hear them. When he glanced around the table though, he did not spot any looks from their friends. He returned his smile to Dipper. 

"I mean, it's really cold outside right now, but we are definitely keeping each other warm." Bill said. Dipper nodded at Bill. He had not noticed how warm it actually was until then. 

"But it could also just be me." Bill said playfully with a wink. It was like the temperature rose a few degrees as Bill had said it. Dipper laughed it off, but he didn't forget about it for a while. Even when Leo stole Bill's attention and Dipper was left alone, sitting between two different conversations that were going on next to him. 

Now that Dipper was made aware, Bill's behavior around him could not go unnoticed anymore. Dipper finally understood what everyone had been talking about. He was still confused as to why they said it was mutual, though. He could not think of any moments where he had acted in a similar way towards Bill. He had been hesitant at the start, he had been nothing but friendly after that. No weird glances, no suggestive comments. Sure, they had shared a few moments, where _maybe_ something could've happened. (E.g. when Bill started undressing in front of Dipper and Leo to put on his vampire costume.) But nothing happened, because he hadn't been looking for a partner... He simply didn't want one yet. He made that very clear to Wendy and Mabel long before he and Bill met, and they had understood. So why did they still talk about it?

 

When Bill saw that Dipper was not taking part of any conversation, he tried to bring him in by asking him how his new book was coming along.

They chatted comfortably for a little bit, before they heard a loud knock on the door.

 

Their conversations died down, and everyone turned their faces towards Dipper, who looked utterly confused.

"I'm not expecting anybody..." He explained. 

Bill frowned. "Are you though?"

Tension rose up in the air. 

Dipper suddenly understood what Bill meant.

 

"He wouldn't..." He started out, but Mabel shook her head and interrupted him. "He would."

 

It was silent for a little bit, but Dipper shoved his chair back and stood up. Bill followed him without hesitation. They shared a quick glance, before Dipper decided it would probably be better if someone was with him when he opened the door.

They made their way to the front door together, not even uttering a single word. Dipper felt like his stomach was turned upside down. He dreaded opening the door more and more with each step. Of course Bill was there, but what was going to happen?

Dipper stood there, considering whether it would be a good idea to open it, but when the person banged on the door again and Bill nodded at him, he felt like he had no other choice.

 

He pulled the door open, to reveal his worst nightmare.

 

"You must be Jared?" Bill started off, stepping in front of Dipper. His face showed hostility, badly disguised by a smile.

The man looked at Bill from head to toe and frowned. 

"Who is this?" He said angrily, and he tried to step into the hallway, but Bill stopped him with a single hand. 

"Everyone calls me Bill, but you may call me William." Bill gritted through his teeth. 

"Bill..." Dipper tried to intervene, but he was interrupted by Jared again. He scoffed.

"Why is he here, Dipper?" 

Bill gave him a little push. 

"I can ask you the same." Bill said, and he cracked his knuckles loudly. Jared laughed.

"Oh, Blondieboy thinks he's tough eh?" He stepped fowards again.

 

Dipper squeezed himself between Bill and Jared and sighed loudly. 

"Jared, I already told you that you are not welcome here. Why have you come?" Dipper said with a shaky voice. 

 

Jared looked genuinly confused. "I came here for you." 

Dipper and Bill sighed in unison. 

"Then it would be best if you went back to Piedmont, right now." Dipper said, and he started closing the door. Jared stopped it with his foot and pushed it open again.

"Is  _this_ your new boyfriend? This clown?" Jared exclaimed, and he tried to make his way in again, but Bill stopped him once more.

"No, but you should be very careful now,  _mister._ " Bill said, and he stepped forwards, his face, radiating fury, now close to Jared's. 

 

A shudder ran over Dipper's back. He was used to Bill's sudden moodswings, and he had accepted how unpredictable he was, but this was entirely different.

 

It was obvious that Jared had needed a moment to pick himself up again. His voice cracked nervously when he spoke again.

"Is that so?" he said.

 

"Yes."

 

Dipper looked between the two of them, coughing nervously, trying to break their eyecontact. He knew what was coming, and it was nearly unavoidable, but he was going to try.

"Jared, please... Please just listen to him. Nobody wants you here." Dipper said, muttering the last part. 

 

With that he had succeeded to turn Jared's attention away from Bill. 

"Dipper, I don't think you understand." Jared said, his voice still a bit shaky. 

"Then explain." Bill said, pressing a finger into his chest. You could see on Jared's face that it was a little painful, but he wasn't going to submit to the blonde's intimidation techniques.

 

"I'm not the only one who wants you home. Your parents miss you." Jared explained.

It was silent for a little while. Dipper was trying to collect the right words.

 

"You went to my parents?" He said, still trying to decide if he was shaking because he was angry or because he was scared.

 

"Who do you think gave me the address? Really Dipper, you know how much your parents love me. I had a really good talk with them, explained how we had broken up and everything. They were very eager for us to get back together in Piedmont."

 

It was definitely anger. 

 

"How dare you." Dipper said, taking a step forward, Bill still sticking close to his side. "How dare you talk to my parents. How dare you lie to them, manipulating them into giving you my address." His voice was trembling. 

 

"Like I said, I'm doing it for you. I want you back." And he had the nerve to smile a little, and reach for Dipper's face with his right hand, trying to caress his cheek.

 

However, he couldn't reach him, because Bill had stomped him right in his stupid face.

The punch was hard enough to make him stumble backwards and fall on his back, and Bill had to wave his hand around in pain, hissing slightly. 

Also, the yelp he had let out, made everyone hurry outside, where the big scene was happening.

 

Jared looked at Dipper with betrayal on his face, but Dipper didn't care. Jared's gaze then moved to Mabel, who quickly kicked him in the shin. Wendy, inspired by this, stepped forwards, getting ready to assualt him as well. However, Leo stopped her. 

"I think he's got the message." He said, in a mature, but threatening tone. Matt, a little red in the face, nodded. "Yeah. It's time that you'd leave..."

Bill took a big step towards Jared, and pulled him up by his collar. "Go. Now." He hissed in his face, and he pushed him towards the parked car.

 

Jared, not thinking twice, fled. 

 

"You better not return!" Mabel yelled, and the groups tension was broken. Dipper even smiled a little. 

 

"You better not return!" Mabel yelled, and the groups tension was broken. Dipper even smiled a little.

 

They all returned to their feast, discussing the look on Jared's face as he ran away, laughing. Dipper wasn't talking or smiling much. When Wendy noticed this, she changed the subject to that one time she had accidentally stolen 20 inflatable pool beds when she worked as a pool guard.

The night went on, and they had a good time. Thick snowflakes slowly drifted down from the sky, painting the trees and the ground white.

At the end, they were all stuffed to the brim, and it was time for them to go home and sleep.

When Dipper and Bill stood at the door, Dipper stopped him after Bill had taken his first step outside.

 

"Wait, Bill." He said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Bill turned around, and smiled at him. "What's up, Pines."

Dipper hesitated, looked around if Mabel was near, and then opened his mouth.

"I don't think I've thanked you properly yet." Dipper said, looking up at the much taller man.

Bill grinned, and shrugged.

"I guess you owe me two now."

"What?"

"You owed me one from helping you move, and now you owe me another from punching your crazy ex-boyfriend."

Dipper investigated his expression, hoping to find jest displayed, but he found it hard to read him. He just laughed, and hoped for the best.

When Bill laughed as well, Dipper felt relieved.

"Just kidding, the last one doesn't count. I love punching idiots in the face." He said, his grin not leaving his face has he spoke.

 

Dipper carefully leaned against the doorpost with his back, not losing their eye contact. He felt tired, but for some reason he didn't want Bill to leave just yet.

"But seriously, thank you." He said in a hushed voice. He wasn't sure why his heart was beating so fast, or why he felt the need to come closer.

Bill's grin transformed into a compassionate smile. One Dipper hadn't seen before. It made Dipper's face a little hot. The blonde placed his hand above Dippers head, and leaned on the doorpost as well. He was now towering above him.

"Of course."

 

They shared a silence, where they just stood there. Snow started to gather on Bill's shoulder, but he didn't move.

When did they start holding each others hand? Why did they start holding each others hand?

Golden Hazel and Blue were slowly moving closer. Hearts beating fast.

Was Dipper imagining it, or were Bill's eyes closing a little?

Their hands were definitely completely intertwined now.

Dipper's mind was racing, while everything else seemed to move in slow-motion.

Bill was leaning down a little.

 

He wasn't looking for a partner, he wasn't ready, it wasn't time.

He thought.

Maybe, just maybe, something had changed.

 

Dipper could feel Bill's breath, which was the only indicator that their faces were close. They had both shut their eyes.

 

Had their friends been right all along?

 

Then, finally, their lips touched.

Dipper's knees felt weak, but Bill was now holding him up a little, gently pressing him against the doorpost.

The smaller man's hands had moved to the back of the taller mans head, wooling through his soft blonde curls, brushing off the snowflakes that got stuck there.

 

He didn't know how long they had stood there, but when they parted, faces flushed, Dipper knew it would be better if they both went to bed.

 

"I'll see you soon." He said, smiling. Bill bit his lip. "Of course." He repeated his last words.

Bill straightened up, and left the scene, leaving footprints in the otherwise perfectly white flat surface.

 

Dipper returned to the kitchen, where Mabel had started doing the dishes, and joined her. They didn't speak much. Mabel was tired, and Dipper's mind was still going a hundred miles per hour.

Had it been a mistake? Then why had it felt so right?

Was this the start of something?

 

When they finished, and had made themselves ready for bed, Mabel made a comment to bring Dipper back to his senses.

 

"I'd give you a goodnight kiss, but I believe someone else has done that for me." She giggled.

Dipper looked at her in alarm.

"Don't worry, I won't tell. Goodnight."

 

Dipper had to turn nutcracker Bill's face away from him in order to fall asleep without thinking too much.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. It's been a while. Nearly half a year. Im not going to give you excuses but, y'know, I've been busy. I hope this long chapter (And the smooches) makes up for it! :) Thanks Emma for proofreading and picking out the mistakes that I've made.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi so I had this sudden desire to write a fanfic  
> Its been a long while since I've written anything, and I was never that good to begin with, but I have hope.  
> Enjoy! 
> 
> or dont
> 
> Im mainly doing this for myself anyway


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